Out of the Blue
by Kari Gilmore
Summary: Timon's son Kito leads Pumbaa's son Bango on a journey to the Pride Lands in hopes that Rafiki can uncover the truth: is Timon's brother still alive?
1. With the Wind

This fic is currently just a one-chapter fic _(I hate those)_ but I was watching a cartoon short and got the sudden burst of inspiration to write something. I'm planning to add onto this as soon as my muse and I can come up with a good storyline. Story title may also change... it'll probably be turned into the chapter name.

Out of the Blue  
By Kari Gilmore  
  
It was early in the morning. Two young meerkat pups were curled up next to their mother, dreaming simple dreams. They were the same dreams they had every night and early morning. They dreamed of their mother and father adding onto their home, deep within the earth. They dreamed of where their aunts and uncles disappeared to when they climbed up the ceiling where a strange, warm glow entered their dark home. It was a mystery they wanted to uncover.  
  
One pup whimpered softly as his mother shifted and sat up. He opened his eyes to look up at her. She smiled and picked him up. "Good morning, Timon. Do you know where your father is?" She chuckled softly and smoothed his hair a bit. "Why am I asking _you_ for? You don't know, so I'll have to tell you. Your father is outside. And guess what? You and Titus will be joining us today."  
  
Timon didn't understand what she was saying. He only watched her as she lifted the second pup up into her arms and walked out of their nest. He looked around as they walked down the tunnel, and then he noticed the ceiling with the strange, warm glow. They were going up. They were actually leaving their home to see the glow. Timon whimpered softly as the glow grew brighter. He rubbed his eyes and blinked a few times until they adjusted.  
  
"Good morning, Panya. Finally decided it was time to let the boys come up here, eh?" Timon looked to see his father Buzz approach. He smiled and reached for him. Buzz smiled and took him from his mother.  
  
"Well, they're two weeks old. It's time for them to see the outside." Timon was too busy and excited to understand what they were saying. There were so many wonders up here, so many things and colors he's never seen. It was so bright and full of life up here. Bright... this was where that odd glow came from. It covered nearly everything he saw up here. He tried to see where it was coming from, and then he looked upward at a bright circle.  
  
"Don't stare at the sun, Timon. You'll get sunspots," Buzz said as he set Timon down.  
  
_Sun... is that what it's called?_ Timon instantly fell in love with the source of the light, and the warm, bright world above. He never wanted to go back into the cold, dark underground after coming up here. He looked over at the pup his mother was holding as he was set down and scurried over to him, and then he tackled him. The other pup playfully growled and tackled back.  
  
Their parents watched with amusement as they rolled over into the tall grass. "Let them have their fun. The sentries will let us know if something approaches," Buzz said.  
  
"I suppose," Panya nodded.  
  
Timon and Titus rolled onto a few green leaves that had fallen from the nearby tree. Timon noticed and picked one up. He tilted his head slightly and bit into it. He quickly spat it out. He licked his fur to get the taste out of his mouth, and then tried to grab the leaf again as a gust of wind blew it out of his tiny paws. He stopped what he was doing and watched as the leaf danced in the air with the wind. He smiled and tried standing on his back legs, reaching up to it. He took a few weak steps after it, and then quickly landed on his backside. He frowned and watched the leaf gracefully float away. He scurried back over to the leaves and grabbed another, offering it to Titus... until he noticed he was no longer with him. He looked around briefly, blinking. He looked down at the leaf in his paws and quickly forgot about Titus as he threw the leaf into the air and watched it dance in the wind. He reached up for it as it swooped directly over his head in a loop-de-loop. He managed to grab it and laughed. He took a bite out of this one, and then quickly spat the piece out. This one tasted the same as the other one. He heard someone running up behind him, so he turned to look. He smiled and reached up as his mother and father came over to him.  
  
"Timon, where's Titus?" his father asked.  
  
"You _do_ realize whom you're asking, right?" his mother asked dryly as she bent over to pick Timon up. Timon smiled as he nuzzled his head against his mother's chest and closed his eyes.  
  
"He couldn't have gotten far. Come on." Buzz started walking away, yelling, "Titus!"  
  
Panya followed after him. "Titus!"  
  
Timon didn't understand what was wrong. He only smiled as his mother held him and carried him while they called for that other meerkat pup he was always with.  
  
"**_Titus!_**"  
  
_..._  
  
The sudden scream in his head woke Timon up with a start. He sat up from his nest, panting quickly. He took a moment to realize where he was. He was lying in his nest in the oasis. He was laying next to his mate Zuri and their pups Kito and Shani, both who were about three months old. It was night. He looked over to his right to see Pumbaa and his family nearby, sleeping peacefully. Timon's panting slowed and he rubbed his eyes.  
  
_Haven't had that dream for a while..._ he thought to himself. He got out of his nest carefully as to not disturb his family's sleep. His feet touched the cold, damp grass, making him shudder slightly. He rubbed his arms as he walked away. _I don't know why I keep dreaming of that Titus guy. I mean, it's not like he was important, right?_ He suddenly felt the wind blow past him, blowing a few weak leaves from the tree branches by. He watched as the leaves danced in unison in the air and softly smiled.  
  
He snatched a leaf out of the air and watched as it flattened against the wind, as if trying to escape from his paw. Timon released it, and watched with amusement as the leaf blew forward, landing in the stream. He pouted his lips for a moment, and then he walked over to the stream, picked up the leaf, and tied a piece of a vine that was nearby to the stem. He let the leaf dangle on the end of the vine, until the wind picked up again. The leaf struggled against the restraint of the vine, desperate to go its own way. Timon grinned and eased his grip on the vine, watching the length grow, allowing the leaf a little more freedom to move. He walked forward and watched as the leaf dance along with the wind and motion of his walk. He felt the wind strength grow, and then decided to release the vine. He watched as the vine danced with the leaf and wind, until they both disappeared. He shook his head, turned, and headed back to his nest.  
  
_Maybe I should ask Ma more about this Titus..._ He climbed into his nest and settled back in the position he was in when he woke up. He felt some movement in the nest and turned his eyes to the source.  
  
"Welcome back. Are you all right?" Zuri asked with a yawn.  
  
"I'm fine," Timon said as he rested his paws behind his head. He closed his eyes and yawned, "Just dreaming... old dreams." Soon, both meerkats were back to sleep.

_To be continued..._


	2. Kito, King of the Vines

Chapter 2:  
  
Night became day, as it normally did. But today it was a rainy day in the oasis. The occupants didn't take mind to it much. The warthogs especially loved it because it would make more mud holes. The only sound in the oasis was the quiet rain and occasional thunder, until...  
  
"Whoo-hoo-hoo!" a three-month-old meerkat pup cheered as he swung through the trees on a vine. He barely missed Uncle Max, who was relaxing in one of the hammocks.  
  
Uncle Max screamed and clung to the hammock. He glared after the pup. "Kito!"  
  
"Sorry, Uncle Max!" The pup, Kito, landed on a branch, right over the stream. He looked down and saw Timon was in his hammock, relaxing and drinking from a coconut shell. "_Cannonball!_" Kito screamed as he jumped off the branch and down towards Timon.  
  
Timon heard this and blinked, "'Cannonball'?" He looked up from his drink and saw Kito coming down towards him. "_Kito!_" He dropped his drink, stood on the hammock, and reached up to catch him. He did catch him, but fell over from lack of balance into the water. He resurfaced, coughing. "Funny, I don't remember teaching him to jump from high places without a vine." He looked around quickly. "Kito! Where are ya?"  
  
Kito's head broke the surface of the water, the coconut shell on his head. "Whoo-hoo! What a _blast!_" Kito laughed as he swam over to the bank. He shook himself off and removed the shell as Timon muttered to himself and walked to the bank. "I got you _good,_ Dad!"  
  
"Heh, heh, yeah. Did you have anything sugary this morning?" Timon asked, shaking the water out of his fur.  
  
"How'd ya guess?"  
  
Timon heaved a sigh and rolled his eyes. "Lucky guess." He pulled a leaf off a low-hanging branch and pulled Kito over to him. "Come here, you hyper-active little--"  
  
"_Daaaad!_ Why are you drying me off? It's not like I'm gonna stay dry today!" Kito squirmed to get away from Timon as he dried him off.  
  
"True, but the day's young, and if your mother saw you soaking wet--wait, where _is_ your mother?"  
  
"I dunno," Kito shrugged.  
  
"Wasn't she watching you?"  
  
"Uh-huh, but I guess I'm too fast for her."  
  
They both looked over as Zuri ran over to them. She stopped a moment to pant. "Is everyone all right?"  
  
Timon pushed Kito over to her. "Yes, but _your_ son almost killed himself jumping from the high branches."  
  
Zuri feigned disbelief as she put her paws on Kito's shoulders. "_My_ son, Great Timon?"  
  
Timon nodded. "Yes, Zuri."  
  
Zuri put a paw on her hip. "Really? I seem to remember you had _something_ to do with him. I seem to recall you even wanted to name him Buzz."  
  
Kito looked up at Timon. "You wanted to name me after a bug, Dad?" Zuri laughed as Timon nervously smiled.  
  
"No. I wanted to name you after your grandfather, Fearless Buzz." Timon arched an eyebrow at Zuri. "But your mother thought other pups would make fun of a kid named after the noise their breakfast makes."  
  
Zuri spoke up, "_And_ lunch _and_ dinner _and_ midnight snack _and--_"  
  
"Picky, picky, picky."  
  
"Well, wasn't your father teased about his name?" Zuri asked with a shrug.  
  
Timon opened his mouth to answer, and then closed it, blinking. "No idea, actually. I'd have to ask my mother." Timon blinked again. "Wait a second... if _you're_ here, and _I'm_ here... where's Shani?" Zuri stood there for a moment, tapping her chin. She then gulped. Timon slapped a paw over his eyes. "Oy."  
  
Suddenly Ma came over. "Don't worry, Timon, she's just fine. I left her with Pete," Ma said.  
  
Zuri nervously chuckled as she came over to her. "Thanks, Mom. Kito was running off acting like the king of the vines again and I had to make sure he didn't kill himself."  
  
"Aww, you worry too much, Mom," Kito said.  
  
"Yeah, because she has _you_ for a son," Timon said, ruffling Kito's hair.  
  
"Come here, you," Zuri said, pulling Kito over to her. "Let's go see your Uncle Sudi. You know how much he loves you."  
  
As Zuri walked away with her son, Timon stepped next to his mother. "Those two are lucky."  
  
Ma looked at him. "Hmm?"  
  
"Well, nothing you could've done, Ma, but I would've liked to have had a brother or sister when I was growing up. You know, someone my age to play with."  
  
"Timon--"  
  
"Like I said, nothing you could've done."  
  
"Mm, I guess not," Ma said, nodding.  
  
Timon rubbed the back of his neck for a moment. "I've been meaning to ask you something."  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Well, ever since Bango and Barika were born, I've been having this dream. I've had it every night for a while, then it stopped for a while, and I just had again it last night. And I was wondering if there's something you're not telling me."  
  
"W-What do you mean? What was the dream about?"  
  
Timon thought hard, trying to recall everything in his dream. "I was young... you brought me outside with another meerkat pup. We wondered off... you found me, but not him. And you called after him by name." Timon looked directly at his mother with a furrowed brow. "So, would you mind telling me who Titus is, really?"  
  
Ma gulped and tapped her fingertips together. "Titus?"  
  
Pumbaa started to walk by, but stopped when he heard Ma speak the name Titus.  
  
"Don't play dumb with me, Ma. You know whom I'm talking about. He's been in my dreams ever since you mentioned his name during that memory day. Why would I dream about him if he wasn't important?"  
  
"Would you believe suggestive thought?"  
  
"No, Mother, I would not."  
  
Pumbaa's patience, which is usually a great deal, has just about run out. He padded over to the two meerkats. "Mrs. Ma, I'm sorry, but I've had enough of this hiding!" He pressed his snout against Ma's fur, looking her straight in the eye. "Either you tell Timon about Titus, or _I_ will!"  
  
"_What,_ you mean Pumbaa knows something I don't?!" Timon asked, looking offended. He then put a paw to his chin, considering this. "Must not be that important then..."  
  
Pumbaa glanced at Timon for a moment, and then furrowed his brow at Ma. Ma looked at Pumbaa, and then sighed. "All right, Pumbaa, I'll tell him."  
  
"Right this very minute?" Pumbaa arched a brow.  
  
"If we can be alone. This is a mother-son issue," Ma nodded.  
  
"Aww, can't I stay? I really wanna hear about Titus again."  
  
"This is a mother-_son_ issue, and though I'm starting to consider you a son, I'd like to have a private moment with my _real_ son. You can read about how he takes it later in the _Gossip Column._"  
  
"Aww, all right..." Pumbaa said as he turned to walk away.  
  
Ma sighed as Pumbaa was out of earshot, and then led Timon in the other direction. Timon watched her as she lead them away, wondering what was going through her head.  
  
_To be continued..._


	3. Not Spying

Chapter 3:  
  
Kito followed his mother Zuri until he saw a large beetle scurry in front of him. Forgetting about visiting his uncle and following his mother, he started to follow the beetle. He followed it past his family's nest and over to the warthogs' nest, where it stopped in front of a sleeping warthog piglet.  
  
"I've got ya now..." Kito pounced on the beetle and grabbed it between his paws. But his paws were wet from the rain, so the beetle slipped out and landed directly into the warthog's yawning mouth. The warthog ate it in his sleep, licked his lips, and let out a satisfied sigh. Kito laid in front of the warthog, aghast. He shook his head to clear it and stood. He pried the warthog's mouth opened and peered inside. "_Hey!_ Bango, that was my mid-morning snack! Give it back!"  
  
"Huh?" the warthog, Bango, grunted as he opened his eyes, feeling the young meerkat walk into his mouth.  
  
"I've heard of sleepwalkers, but sleep-_eaters?_ That's a new one on me."  
  
"Wha ahe ou aling aou, Ieo? I--"  
  
"Don't talk with your mouth full. Besides, I can't understand a word you're saying." Bango sat up and spat the pup out. "_Ech..._ now I gotta take a bath," Kito complained as he picked a bit of the warthog's saliva from his fur.  
  
Bango rotated his jaw around a few times and smacked his lips. "Sorry. It's already raining. What do you need a bath for?"  
  
"Because I don't wanna smell like warthog morning breath. Now what did you say while I was in your mouth?"  
  
Bango cleared his throat. "I said, 'What are you talking about, Kito?'"  
  
Kito jumped up and grabbed onto Bango's nostrils, pulling him down to his level. "You ate my bug is what I'm talking about!"  
  
"_What?_" Bango folded his front legs together in front of his chest, almost looking insulted. Kito was still holding onto his nostrils when he did, so the pup had to climb up onto the warthog's snout to keep from falling off. "I would do no such thing, eating someone else's bug." He then let out a burp. He put a hoof to his mouth and blinked, surprised.  
  
"Oh, really?" Kito asked, dryly.  
  
"Well... not on purpose," Bango blushed.  
  
"So exhale that bug, or I'm going in after it!" Kito dropped down to the ground and tapped his foot. "I'm waiting, Bango."  
  
"I don't think you want me to--"  
  
"Then say 'Ah.'"  
  
"Why would you want me to say ah--?" Just as the warthog opened his mouth, Kito jumped back in and began to head down his throat, until someone grabbed onto his back foot and pulled him out.  
  
A blond female meerkat pup released Kito's foot and wiped her paws on her fur. "Why are you trying to give our cousin indigestion, Kito?"  
  
Kito grumbled as he wiped his fur off. "I was not, Shani. I was trying to get my bug back."  
  
"You want a bug that's been in a _warthog's_ stomach? Gross!"  
  
"It's a guy thing. You, a girl, wouldn't understand."  
  
"I understand that what you were going to do is wrong on _so_ many levels," Shani said, folding her arms in front of her chest.  
  
"Aww, what do you know?"  
  
Shani leaned over and sniffed her brother's fur, and then twitched her nose. "Besides that you smell like warthog morning breath?" Bango snickered, and then cleared his throat when Kito shot him a look. "I know Mom says girls are always right, and she's the boss. So _nyeh._"  
  
"_Nyeh_ yourself."  
  
Bango shook his head, and then he noticed Timon and Ma walking in the distance. "Hey, there's Uncle Timon and Mrs. Panya." Kito climbed on top of Bango's head to see.  
  
"Sure is."  
  
"Is it just me, or does Mrs. Panya have a super-serious face on?"  
  
"It's not just you." Kito grinned, "Maybe Grandma's gonna ground him. That'd be funny."  
  
Shani climbed up onto Bango's head, pushing Kito's head down to see. "Nah, that doesn't look like a grounding face to me," she said.  
  
"Um, Shani?"  
  
"Hm?" Shani glanced down at Kito, noticing she had pushed him down to see. "Oh, hey, bro."  
  
"Hello. Could you, possibly, maybe, oh I don't know... _get off?!_" Kito pushed his sister off, causing her to roll backwards and land on Bango's back. "I'm gonna see what's on Granny's mind. Wanna come with, Bango?"  
  
"Do I have a choice?" Bango asked with a worried face.  
  
"Not really. How about you, Shani?"  
  
Shani dusted herself off as she looked up at her brother. "You're gonna go spy on Daddy and Grandma. Is that what you're saying?"  
  
Kito feigned innocence. "_What?_ Where would you get an idea like _that?_ No, we're just, uh... gonna watch them without them knowing."  
  
"Oh." Shani pouted her lips out, and then shrugged. "OK." On that note, Bango followed the direction Timon and Ma went. When they found them Bango kept down low enough not to be seen. Kito and Shani climbed back onto the top of Bango's head to see. "Scoot over, Kito," Shani softly growled.  
  
"I'm not taking up any room. Bango's head is just too small," Kito growled back.  
  
"Hey!" Bango snorted.  
  
"Shh!" both pups on top of his head whispered.  
  
"All right, Ma, are we alone enough yet?" Timon asked as he sat on the ground and rubbed his feet. "We've been walking so long I think I'm starting to get blisters."  
  
"This'll do, I suppose," Ma said, sitting in front of Timon. She sighed as she looked up at the sky through the leaves. "We took the walk so I could think of what to say to you. But where do I begin?"  
  
"Well, I have a feeling Titus and I were closer than you've hinted at before," Timon said, folding his arms in front of his chest.  
  
"You're right, you were. Very close. I guess I'll start out in saying... you weren't an only child, Timon."  
  
"Not an only child?" Timon blinked and thought for a moment. A look of realization washed over his face, and then he turned back to his mother. "You mean--? Are you saying Titus was my--?"  
  
Ma bowed her head. "Your brother."  
  
Kito and Shani looked at each other with surprised exressions. "We have an Uncle Titus?" they asked.  
  
"The way Mrs. Panya is acting, I'd say we _had_ an Uncle Titus," Bango whispered. They quieted down to continue listening to Timon and Ma talk.  
  
"You never told me I had a brother? Why were you keeping it from me?"  
  
"He disappeared when you were a few weeks old. You didn't act like you remembered him when you started talking. You weren't looking around the tunnel or anything, wondering where he was. I didn't tell you because I was just trying to spare you the pain of losing a brother in addition to a father."  
  
Timon looked away from her and stood. "No, Ma... you wouldn't tell me about him because _you_ wanted to forget about him."  
  
Ma furrowed her brow and stood. "Oh, you mean like when you forgot about your father?" Timon's face winced. "In just under six months I've lost a son and a husband, and think of how I felt after you left the colony for those two years and all those times your life was in danger. How would you feel knowing all you had left was taken from you? I'm just trying to forget that pain."  
  
"But you said you never found him. I mean, disappeared isn't the same as _dead._ He could still be alive somewhere out there!"  
  
"That's what Pete seems to think, but chances of that are very, very slim, Timon." She softly sighed and put a paw on Timon's cheek, turning his face to hers. "Even if he was still alive, he wouldn't know we were his family. And we wouldn't know what he looks like today. I'm sorry, sweetie."  
  
Timon exhaled through his nose, and then turned to walk away. Ma went to stop him, but stopped herself. She watched after him for a moment, and then went in the other direction.  
  
"Wow. I've never seen Daddy so... sad," Shani said as she slid down the front of Bango's snout and land on the ground.  
  
"Grandma, too. They're always so cheerful," Kito said.  
  
"Are we done spying on them yet?" Bango asked.  
  
"Yeah, but we weren't spying."  
  
"Yeah, just keep telling yourself that," Shani said as she walked away from the two of them.  
  
"Hey, you were just 'not spying' on them, too, y'know!" Kito yelled after his sister. He sighed and rested his elbows on Bango's head. "What are we gonna do now, Bango?"  
  
"Hope that they cheer up on their own?" Bango suggested as he turned and started walking away.  
  
"Nah, that could take days."  
  
"Maybe if we gathered their favorite bugs together they'll forget they were sad about Uncle Titus. Maybe they'll even forget about arguing over the fact that he might still be alive."  
  
A little lightbulb lit up in Kito's head. "Bango, that's it!"  
  
"Great! So you wanna start now on the bug gathering, or--?"  
  
"No, no, no, that's not what I meant. I mean, we can find out for sure if Uncle Titus is alive or not!"  
  
Bango stopped walking and looked up at the meerkat riding on his head. "Kito, no one would know what Uncle Titus looks like. He hasn't been seen since he was a little bitty baby."  
  
"Can't be too hard," Kito said as he drummed his fingers on Bango's head. "We just gotta look for someone who looks like Dad. If the grown-ups aren't gonna do anything about it, then we'll take this into our own paws!" Kito paused a moment before adding, "Or hooves." He shook his head. "Whatever."  
  
"_We?_ As in, _you_ and _me?_"  
  
Kito looked around briefly. "Do you see anyone else here I could be referring to?"  
  
"Uh-uh!"  
  
Kito leaned forward to look at Bango, giving the warthog piglet an upside-down view of the pup. "Was that 'uh-uh' for 'I don't see anyone else here you could be referring to', or was that 'uh-uh' for 'I don't wanna be involved in this'?"  
  
"I don't wanna be involved in this."  
  
"Aww, what's the matter, Bango? _Chicken?_" Kito asked in a taunting tone.  
  
Bango stood firm. "Yes. We've never left the oasis without our parents before."  
  
Kito jumped onto Bango's snout. "You won't be alone. You'll have me, your bestest, best cousin to go with you." He laid down on Bango's snout and looked at him straight in the eye. "If we don't go, Dad's gonna stay depressed, and it won't be long before Uncle Pumbaa starts acting depressed, too. You know how sensitive he is."  
  
Bango sighed. "Dragging _my_ parents into _your_ family affairs? That's low."  
  
"No, that's a guilt trip."  
  
"Well, maybe if we had some kind of help to point us in the right--"  
  
"Some kind of help? Who would we go to for--?" Kito suddenly smiled, sat up and snapped his fingers. "Rafiki!"  
  
"Rafiki?"  
  
"Yeah, you know, the all-knowing magic blue-faced monkey shaman of the Pride Lands. He helped bring our dads together and hinted where to find the oasis in the first place, right?"  
  
"Right..." Bango nodded slowly.  
  
"So, maybe he'll know if Uncle Titus is alive! We'll go to the Pride Lands and look for his tree before we look for Uncle Titus on our own. He'll get us going in the right direction!"  
  
Bango bit his lower lip and looked away from Kito for a moment. "Well, if we can get Rafiki's help, I guess I can agree to go along."  
  
"Great!" He then nervously smiled when Bango narrowed his eyes at him.  
  
"Just out of curiosity, Kito..."  
  
"_Yes...?_"  
  
"Are you making me go along so you don't have to walk the whole way there?"  
  
"Uh, well... that, and..." He cleared his throat, grabbed onto Bango's ear, and whispered into it, "I really, really, _really_ don't want to go alone."  
  
"Good answer," Bango nodded. "So, when do we leave?"  
  
"Tonight."  
  
_To be continued..._


	4. Part of You

Sorry for the long delay. My brother's wedding was fast approaching and my family from Florida was driving me nuts, so couldn't work on this chapter as much as I usually do. Took me a few days to regain my sanity after they left Sunday. Anyway, read on.

Chapter 4:  
  
"Kito!" Zuri pushed some brush aside and glanced around the area. "Kito!" She sighed and looked back at her brother Sudi as he came up behind her. She noticed he was about to open his mouth, but she cut him off. "I don't want to hear a word out of you, Sudi."  
  
"I was just going to call for Kito, same as you," Sudi said, holding his paws up. "Isn't that why you asked me to come along with you, to help you find him?"  
  
Zuri looked at him for a moment, and then nodded. "You're right. I'm sorry."  
  
As she turned back around to walk forward, Sudi mumbled, "If you had let the 3-month-old boy walk behind you instead of in front, we wouldn't be looking for him."  
  
He gulped when Zuri suddenly got right in his face. "Are you criticizing my parenting skills?"  
  
"Not at all." Sudi carefully took a step back from her and held his paws up. "I didn't mean anything by it. I was just thinking out loud--"  
  
"_Very_ loud."  
  
Sudi furrowed his brow and then cleared his throat. "Kito thinks like his father... with his stomach. Five to one says he saw a bug shuffle by and went after it, forgetting about following you and visiting me."  
  
"He would've done that even if he was walking in front of me." They started walking again. She pushed a low-hanging branch up and ducked under it. "You know, Timon didn't have a brother growing up... I'm almost starting to envy him."  
  
Sudi furrowed his brow again. "What's _that_ suppose to mean?"  
  
Zuri turned her eyes towards him. "Well, you're acting more like a father-in-law than a brother-in-law to him."  
  
Sudi sighed and ran a paw through his hair. "I know, I know, and I'm sorry, Zuri. I'm trying to accept him, but when you're raised to hate the colony of Fearless Buzz, that kinda sticks, you know?"  
  
"Yeah, I guess you're right. For the older members of both of our mobs, it's kinda hard to forget the past."  
  
"I've been wondering something for a while, but the topic's never come up."  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Well, I'm just wondering why you liked Timon, the son of Fearless Buzz, when you first met. I mean, that's like the direct definition of 'forbidden love.'"  
  
Zuri scoffed and rolled her eyes slightly. "I didn't know he was the son of Fearless Buzz... and I didn't believe him when he said he was." She stopped to flex her arms as she added, "I mean, you look at Timon and then you look at portraits of Fearless Buzz, you don't see a family resemblance."  
  
Sudi chuckled, "Yeah, I see what you mean."  
  
"And FYI, I didn't like him _right_ away..." Sudi arched an eyebrow at her. "OK, I admit when he first showed up when I was singing the tunnel digging beat, I was curious. You know, since Papa doesn't let us socialize with strange meerkats."  
  
Sudi walked ahead of her. "And he _was_ pretty strange."  
  
"Shut up." She followed, looking from side to side, looking for Kito. "The next day, I really met him. Sure, there was some friction at first, because I thought he was stalking me..." She then smiled. "But by the end of the day, when we talked I felt... appreciated. Happy. I hadn't felt like that since--" She stopped walking when she saw something, but Sudi kept going.  
  
"Since Sly left?" Sudi asked, thinking she stopped because she didn't want to say it. When he got no response, he stopped and looked back at her. "Zuri?" He walked back over to her to see what she was looking at. They saw Timon sitting against a tree with his knees hiked up to his chest and his arms folded on top. He stared at the ground in front of him, listening to the rainfall around him. Sudi bit his index finger, and then he turned to his sister. "You don't think he heard that, do you?"  
  
"No. He gets a little touchy when someone mentions my old boyfriend Sly, but he's never like _that._ I'm gonna go see what's on his mind," Zuri said as she walked towards her mate.  
  
"Sure. In the meantime, I'll go see if the warthogs have seen Kito," Sudi said as he walked away.  
  
"Thanks." Zuri approached Timon, and stopped a few feet from him. She didn't say anything until he finally noticed she was standing there, and turned his eyes to look at her. She smiled and said, "You're taking the gloominess of a rainy day _way_ too seriously, Timon."  
  
"It's not the rain that's bothering me, but it's a nice touch," Timon mumbled as he turned his eyes away from her.  
  
Zuri frowned and kneeled down behind him. She put her paws on his left shoulder and rested her chin on her paws. "So what are you so happy about then?"  
  
"I don't wanna talk about it."  
  
"Timon..."  
  
"Before you even start, I want you to know pestering or threatening me won't work this time."  
  
Zuri frowned again. "How about saying you might feel better if you tell someone, let it out instead of letting it fester inside like a bad bug?"  
  
Timon wrinkled his eyebrows and looked at her. "Where do you get this stuff?"  
  
"Here and there," she smiled sweetly.  
  
Timon blinked and then looked away from her. "Well... you know those dreams I've been having lately, where I'm a pup and there's another pup named Titus?"  
  
"Mm-hmm."  
  
"I finally asked Ma about it."  
  
There was a long pause before Zuri finally broke the silence. "_And?_"  
  
"You know," Timon said as he gestured with his paw, "it's bad enough she kept such a thing from me for six years, but telling the _warthog_ before even telling me?" He put a paw to his forehead. "That's almost insulting."  
  
"Oh, if your mother told Pumbaa something before you, it can't be that important."  
  
Timon looked straight at her with a furrowed brow. "That's what _I_ thought, Zuri," he said. He added with a sarcastic air, "I mean, how important is it to know you had a _brother_ up until you were two or three weeks old?"  
  
Zuri's expression softened. "Titus... was your brother?"  
  
Timon looked back at the spot on the ground he was staring at before she came over. "Yeah. I don't know why I'm feeling like this, because I didn't know him. But..." He sighed. "I don't know."  
  
Zuri tilted her head to the side. "Maybe because he was a part of you. A little piece of you died when he was gone, and you're just now feeling the pain."  
  
Timon smirked slightly. "Heh. Yeah, if it's not about Ma keeping that from me, that's probably it. I guess he was just one more person to love. No big."  
  
Zuri stood and pulled Timon to his feet. "I know what can take your mind off Titus for a while. You can help me find Kito."  
  
"He's missing? I thought you were taking him to see Sudi."  
  
Zuri twiddled her fingers together as she mumbled, "Well, I was, and then he wondered off somewhere and I didn't realize he was gone until I got there."  
  
Timon slapped a paw over his eyes. "Oy."  
  
"What's the matter, Dad?" a voice from behind Timon asked.  
  
"Oh, your mother lost you on the way to see Uncle Sudi."  
  
"Sorry 'bout that."  
  
Both Timon and Zuri looked at each other and then turned to face the face, seeing it was Kito riding on top of Bango's head. "Kito!"  
  
"Hi, Uncle Timon and Aunt Zuri," Bango said.  
  
"Hello, Bango. Kito, where have you been?" Zuri asked, putting her paws on her hips.  
  
"Sorry, Mom. I kinda got distracted by a bug shuffling by on the walk and then I ran into Bango," Kito said as he nervously rubbed the back of his neck. He then looked down at Bango with an annoyed glare, "And then I forgot about rejoining you after he sleep-ate my bug. He wouldn't give it back neither."  
  
"I told you I was sorry about that. Let it go!"  
  
Kito folded his arms in front of his chest. "Why should _I_ let it go when _you_ didn't let it go?"  
  
Zuri glanced at Timon. "He's _your_ son."  
  
"You're right... he's _your_ son," Timon replied as he caught Kito as he slid down off Bango.  
  
"Dad, are you depressed or something?" Kito asked.  
  
"Uh... sorta. Your grandmother told me something I probably would've been better off not knowing."  
  
"Don't worry, Uncle Timon. Everything will be better soon," Bango beamed.  
  
"Bango, _shh!_" Kito said through clenched teeth. Bango quickly put both front hooves over his mouth.  
  
"What?" both Timon and Zuri asked.  
  
"Nothing, Mom and Dad," Kito squeaked. Timon and Zuri glanced at each other, and then walked away together. Kito exhaled and then furrowed his brow at Bango. "You trying to ruin the _biggest_ adventure of our lives before it even starts?"  
  
"I'm sorry, Kito, it just slipped out." He lowered his face to meet Kito. "Are you _sure_ we should be doing this? We could get in trouble."  
  
"We could, but we could also find our long-lost uncle at the same time." He grinned as he leaned his weight against Bango's snout. "That's one more present for our birthdays... two more if he's married."  
  
Bango smiled, "_Really?_" He paused for a moment. "Who said we'd be having an adventure?"  
  
Kito rolled his eyes and mumbled, "I don't believe this." He said out loud, "_Duh._ We're leaving the oasis by ourselves in search for our Uncle Titus. That sounds like an adventure to me."  
  
"I don't know... adventures usually include dangers."  
  
"Sorry, but you're too deep in this to back out now, bacon bits."  
  
"Crud."  
  
"You worry too much, Bango. It'll be fun! And you know that old saying."  
  
"No, I worry just the right amount." Bango then blinked, "What old saying?"  
  
Kito rolled his eyes again, "Fortune favors the brave! Geesh, do I _really_ have to tell you everything?"  
  
"'Fortune favors the brave'? That's not an old saying."  
  
"Give it time. It'll be old tomorrow."  
  
"It sounds like a song title to me."  
  
Kito climbed onto Bango's snout and narrowed his eyes slightly. "Don't change the subject." He then looked out towards the edge of the oasis, out towards the desert. "If we can find Uncle Titus, any danger we face will be worth it. Dad and Grandma will be happy again."  
  
"Remember, you promised we'd ask Rafiki to point us in the right direction before we cover every square inch of the Pride Lands," Bango said in a strict voice.  
  
"Yeesh, yes, I remember. Quit talking like my Mom when she's mad." Kito furrowed his brow and looked at Bango right in the eye. "And _you_ remember to keep your trap shut about us going anywhere. I'll pick you up at your nest when both of our families' are asleep."  
  
"Maybe I should pick _you_ up."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Well, you're a lot lighter than I am."  
  
Kito grimaced, "What-_ever._" He climbed on top of Bango's head and then pulled on his ears. "C'mon, let's go grab some grubs. I'm starved." As Bango trotted off, Shani climbed down the tree she was in and watched them go with a worried expression.  
  
_To be continued..._


	5. Tell Me

Short chapter ahead. Sorry for the long delay... wasn't sure where I wanted to go with this chapter.

Chapter 5:  
  
"So you finally told him about Titus?" Pete asked Ma, who was sitting just across from him.  
  
"Yes. He accused me of not telling him because I wanted to forget about him," Ma nodded.  
  
"Well... when you tell a six-year-old meerkat that he used to have a brother for the first time..." Pete paused to consider this, and then nodded. "Sorry, but I have to agree with Timon."  
  
"Thanks a lot, Peter," Ma frowned.

"Panya, you shouldn't keep such a thing from your own son. In my opinion, if you had told Timon sooner, you could've missed him _together, _as mother and son." Pete blew some air out of his mouth and looked up at the gloomy sky. "What else did he say?"  
  
"Pretty much the same thing you've been telling me about Titus."  
  
"Which is?"  
  
"Disappeared isn't the same as dead."  
  
"So he thinks he's alive somewhere, too?"  
  
"Don't go there, Pete."  
  
Pete looked back at Ma. "Why not?"  
  
"I've heard it all before. Titus is gone and he's not coming back. End of story."  
  
"Forgive me for saying so, Panya, but Timon is right." Pete stood and started to walk away. "You _are_ trying to forget about Titus."  
  
Ma growled and yelled after him, "I am not! I'm a _realist!_" She sighed and rested her chin in her paw. "But I guess I _am_ doing more than trying to forget about the pain of losing a son and a husband."  
  
"Wouldn't surprise me," a voice said. Ma looked up to see Shomari standing in front of her.  
  
"Leave me alone, Shomari. I don't feel like talking anymore."  
  
"Oh, so you wanna feel the way you're feeling until the end of the week?" Shomari asked as he sat down in front of her.  
  
Ma grimaced, "Well..."  
  
"Tell me."  
  
"All right..."

_Meanwhile..._

Timon and Zuri continued to walk through the oasis. "Those kids worry me sometimes. It's amazing all my hair is still red," Timon said to Zuri as he put a paw in his hair.  
  
"With what Panya's told me, I'm amazed _her_ hair didn't turn gray years ago," Zuri grinned.  
  
Timon furrowed his brow at her. "I wasn't _that_ bad... uh, while Dad was alive anyway. At least Ma only had me to raise, eh?" Timon laughed slightly, and then sighed, "Oy."  
  
"I wonder what Titus would've been like." When she didn't get a reply, she cleared her throat. "You're gonna be OK, aren't you?"  
  
Timon gave a half shrug, trying to put on a happy face. But it failed, and it only looked like he had gotten hold of a bitter tasting bug. "Eventually I will be."  
  
"You're not alone in this. You know that, don't you?"  
  
"I know, but I'm kinda upset with her right now."  
  
"I'm sure it'll pass, and you'll get together and talk it over because you love each other... right?"  
  
Timon half-smiled and nodded, "Yeah, I guess you're right. Thanks, Zuri." He noticed Zuri looking away from him, as if she had something on her mind. "What's up?"  
  
"Well... something important, yet not important."  
  
Timon gulped, "You're not carrying again, are you?"  
  
"No." She suddenly frowned and furrowed her brow. "And what's _that_ suppose to mean, Timon? You don't want a second litter?"  
  
Timon held his paws up. "I do if _you_ want a second litter! If it's not that, then what is it?"  
  
Zuri twiddled her fingers together. "Well... we've been together for nine months, and..." She looked at him. "You never actually said that you loved me."  
  
"You know I do, Zuri. It's just... well, those are really strong words. I've tried to say it out loud to you ever since I was sure of my feelings, but everytime I try I feel my heart leap into my throat, my mouth dries up or it feels like it's stuffed with some sticky bug, and I can't speak. The 'L' word isn't part of my regular vocabulary because of that."  
  
"Timon. You just said the 'L' word earlier. 'I guess he was just one more person to love.'"  
  
"I was talking about a male whom I never really knew. It's different when I'm referring to a female with whom I have very deep feelings for." Timon stretched a moment. "And besides, I think action speaks louder than words."  
  
"Well, that's not how females think. I need to cool off. I'm going to go see my mother," Zuri said as she walked away.  
  
"You _are_ coming back to the nest tonight, aren't ya?" Timon nervously asked.  
  
"We'll see."  
  
Timon blew some air out of his mouth as he walked in the opposite direction, "Something tells me I'm gonna be sleeping on the couch tonight."  
  
_To be continued..._


	6. Don't Tattle

Sorry for the late chapter again. Kinda hard to work when your parents lie around the living room and watch movies you're not interested in all weekend... the whole three-day weekend. Kept getting migraines. Well, here goes!  
  
Chapter 6:  
  
The day had finally come to an end, as did the rain. The clouds were clearing to allow the stars and moon to shine over the oasis. The occupants were settling down to sleep. Zuri walked past the warthogs' nests, rubbing her paws together anxiously. She made her way to her nest, and stopped when she noticed Timon was sitting up in the nest with his eyes partway open. Kito and Shani were lying next to him, asleep. Zuri rubbed the back of her neck, and approached. She cleared her throat to get Timon's attention.  
  
Timon looked over at her, stood, stretched, and yawned, "Kept your spot warm." He hopped out of the nest and started to walk away. "Good night."  
  
"Where are you going?" Zuri asked.  
  
Timon stopped and turned to look at her. "Well, you're still kinda upset with me, aren't ya? I was gonna save you the trouble of kicking me out."  
  
"Get back here. I wasn't going to send you anywhere."  
  
Timon walked back over to her. "So you forgive me?"  
  
Zuri grinned as she pat Timon's cheek, and then said, "Not yet. But I realized I shouldn't have brought it up while you were feeling like this. I should've waited until you were feeling like yourself."  
  
Timon couldn't resist asking with a grin, "So... you were _wrong?_"  
  
Zuri sucked some air through her teeth, "_Well..._ I wasn't thinking about your feelings."  
  
"_Zuri..._"  
  
Zuri poked Timon in the chest. "_Timon,_ what I have to say can wait 'til morning. I have a lot on my mind and a lot of things I want to say to you, but I feel it's not the right time and we'd both have trouble sleeping through the night."  
  
"If you say so. Ladies first," Timon gestured with his arm. Zuri walked ahead and climbed into the nest, followed by Timon. Both were careful not to wake the two sleeping pups in the nest. But... neither of the pups was really asleep.  
  
Kito carefully climbed out of the nest when he was sure both of his parents were asleep. He walked towards the warthogs' nest and stood in front of Bango. He stared at the warthog, and then he folded his arms and tapped his foot. He rolled his eyes and climbed onto Bango's snout. He pulled one of Bango's eyelids up, and waited until Bango opened his other eye before whispering, "Rise and swine."  
  
Bango carefully stood and stretched, yawning. He stepped out of the nest and walked a good distance before he sat down and yawned, "When you said we'd be leaving tonight, I didn't realize you meant in the_ dead of night._"  
  
Kito jumped off Bango's snout and dusted himself off. "_Duh._ If we leave in the dead of night when everyone is asleep, then it's less likely we'll be caught. I'm surprised you could even sleep knowing the excitement that's ahead."  
  
"Well, I do feel bad that we're not telling our parents about this."  
  
"I don't feel super about this either, but I want to know what happened to Uncle Titus. And if Dad won't do anything but mope, we'll never know. Now, come on. We gotta get as far as we can in the desert before dawn. I don't want to get sunburned."  
  
Bango looked forward and gulped, "Uh, Kito..."  
  
"What, you're gonna tell me meerkats don't get sunburned?"  
  
"No, that wasn't it."  
  
"Then what?" Kito looked where Bango was looking and gulped.  
  
"You know... Daddy says no midnight snacks unless he's invited," Shani, who was leaning against a tree in front of the duo, said.  
  
"We're not midnight snacking," Bango said.  
  
"Then what _are_ you doing?"  
  
"We're uh... we're uh..." Bango mumbled.  
  
"Uh, sleepwalking!" Kito finished.  
  
"With your eyes _open?_" Shani asked with an arched eyebrow.  
  
"It's _dark_ out here! You want us to trip over something and break our necks?"  
  
"She's not buying it, Kito," Bango mumbled to him.  
  
"Why wouldn't she buy it? Girls buy everything."  
  
"Even if I hadn't overheard you two talking about going on an adventure to find Uncle Titus, I wouldn't have bought your little _'sleepwalking-with-your-eyes-open'_ bit," Shani said, using quotation fingers.  
  
"You were spying on us?" Kito asked with a furrowed brow.  
  
"No, I was watching you without you knowing," Shani sarcastically answered.  
  
"Please, Shani, don't tattle on us. We can make everyone happier if we find Uncle Titus," Bango said as he pressed his front hooves together in a begging manner.  
  
"You don't even know if he's alive or not."  
  
"We will when we find Rafiki. He knows a lot of stuff, so he might be able to mix some potion together and tell us if he's alive or not," Kito said, making a few mixing gestures with his paws.  
  
"And if he's not alive, we'll come right back... right?" Bango asked.  
  
"Right."  
  
"You two are crazy. You're both going to get into trouble and Daddy won't be there to help you," Shani said, stamping her foot.  
  
"We wouldn't ask him to," Kito said, folding his arms in front of his chest. Bango gulped. Kito continued, "Anyway, we won't _get_ into any trouble."  
  
"Yeah, right. This coming from someone who went bungee jumping without a bungee today," Shani said, rolling her eyes.  
  
"That was a sugar rush!"  
  
"Yeah, and it was the sugar rush that made you come up with this plan."  
  
"Shani, please, you have to shut up and cover us while we're gone."  
  
"Nuh-uh. It's a free oasis. I don't have to do anything for you," Shani said, folding her arms in front of her chest.  
  
"Not even for your own _brother?_"  
  
"And cousin?" Bango poked into the scene, flashing a smile.  
  
Shani's hold-tough expression began to fade. "Well... at least let me come along with you."  
  
Kito quickly shook his head. "Nuh-uh, no way, no how, no chance. If they notice both of the savior's pups are gone, they'll know something fishy's going on."  
  
Shani grimaced, "I see your point."  
  
"You won't squeal on us, will you, Shani?" Bango asked with big, sad eyes.  
  
Shani groaned, "_Oy..._ with the face and the eyes and the... _ugh._ All right, all right, I'll do my best to keep everyone from noticing you're gone. Just get that face away from me."  
  
"Yay," Bango smiled.  
  
"But you owe me _big time,_ Kito. Especially if they found out I let you go."  
  
"Put it on my tab," Kito said as he climbed onto Bango's back.  
  
"Just... be careful, OK? I don't wanna be an only child like Daddy."  
  
"Shani... if fate's on our side, Dad won't be an only child ever again. Let's go, Bango!" Bango nodded and ran off towards the desert.  
  
Shani shook her head and turned to head back to the nest. She stopped when she noticed some grubs scurry by. She grinned, "Well... guess since I'm still up..." She dashed after the speedy little devils, kicking some dirt up as she ran after them.  
  
_To be continued..._


	7. Moonlight Chat

Hey, strangers. Sorry for the long delay yet again. I was in a bit of a depressed state for the past few weeks... lack of social/internet interaction. And I was hooked on a new video game. Anyway, with this chapter I thought I'd set the scene somewhere else, introduce a few more characters that Kito and Bango will run into later on. Within I'm putting some music in the back, _Out of the Blue_ and _Not Me_, both created by Elton John and Tim Rice, but the songs are from different movies/musicals. Enjoy! UPDATE: Removed _Out of the Blue_ and _Not Me_ lyrics. 

Chapter 7:

The wind lightly blew into a cave and brushed against a meerkat sleeping in a tangled nest of vines. The meerkat seemed to be not sleeping well, given his facial expression. His eyebrows were creased, showing that whatever he was dreaming wasn't pleasant. With a start he woke up, breath catching in his chest. He then rubbed his face with a paw, trying to wipe the reminder of sleep from his mind.

"Why me? Why _every_ night?" he mumbled.

He then pulled himself from his nest of vines and stretched. He was a member of a meerkat colony that took residence inside a sort of cave, so light was a rarity at night. There were one or two skylights, so he could see the position of the moon, which was high overhead. He grimaced, seeing the night would stick around for quite a few more hours. He looked around to see if anyone nearby was still awake, for insomnia or otherwise. But the meerkats he could see were sleeping soundly. One or two snored, and there was an occasional word or two mumbled. He sighed and scurried up an old root up to one of the skylights.

"I remember when I could sleep all through the night, when I understood things better. Those were happier times." The meerkat climbed out of the skylight and sat at the edge. He let his feet dangle over the edge of the skylight, at first looking down from where he came from, and then he looked up at the stars and moon.

He closed his eyes as he felt the wind brush past him, ruffling his dark hair. "Those were the days." The meerkat sighed as he rubbed his eyes, "What I wouldn't give for a full night's sleep."

"Hey, Sly. What's with all the serious muttering to yourself?" a perky female voice behind the male asked.

The male, Sly, open his eyes and rolled them slightly. "What are you doing up, Yasmin?"

"I couldn't sleep. What about you?" the pretty female asked with a smile as she sat down next to Sly.

"Old dreams," Sly replied with a yawn.

Yasmin frowned a little as she put a little flower in her hair. "_Those_ dreams?"

"_Those_ dreams."

"I would've figured after three years of being apart and knowing me, you'd forget about her."

"I could _never_ forget her," Sly said as he hiked his leg up and rested his elbow on it.

"What if she forg--?"

Sly growled softly, "Don't you _dare_ say that, Yasmin. She said so herself she could never forget me."

"Grouchy, aren't you?" Yasmin smiled sweetly.

"Don't change the subject."

"Well, I was just saying you'd wanna forget everything about your old colony. Besides this Zuri you knew, there isn't anything or anyone there worth mentioning anymore, right? When you were banished, your father got angry with Shomari and left the colony to find you, and when that happened your mother died of a broken heart."

Sly bowed his head slightly. "Thanks for reminding me."

"You're welcome," Yasmin smiled again, not catching onto his sarcasm.

"And for the record, I don't _just_ dream about that day. I have these other dreams... that make me feel like I should be somewhere else. That when I left I was suppose to go there, but then my father found me and took me where he thought we should be going."

"And then you found the colony."

"Yeah..."

"But you don't sound too happy about it." She leaned against him. "Come on, Sly. I thought you liked me."

"I do, it's just--"

"I mean _like_-like. Don't you?"

"Well--"

"Mm, if you don't, we can always find better surroundings. It's a beautiful moon out tonight, and the light could be better somewhere other than here."

"Actually, Yasmin, I'm pretty comfortable here. I would like some time alone to think."

"Aww, can't I help you think?"

Sly smiled politely as he pushed Yasmin from him. "No, I can do fine on my own, thank you."

Yasmin frowned and got up. "All right, Mr. Mary Sunshine, if you want to waste a perfectly good moonlight, then we have nothing to talk about tonight. See you in the morning. Good night."

"Night." He watched her walk away, and then he looked back upward at the moon, going back to his previous thoughts. "Someday... maybe we could start again."

To be continued...


	8. Which Way To Go

Hey, didn't take me as long this time, eh? Heh heh... OK, read on.

Chapter 8:  
  
The sun had finally begun to rise over the desert. Hours seemed like days to the two young travelers who walked the desert all night. Kito, who was walking alongside Bango, dropped from exhaustion and panted.  
  
"Bango?"  
  
Bango sat down next to his cousin and panted. "Yes, Kito?"  
  
"You can bury me right here."  
  
"I don't think I could. My hooves are tired from walking all night..." He yawned and lay down. "And _I'm_ dead tired, too."  
  
Kito exhaled deeply. "Come on, we gotta keep going. We gotta find Uncle Titus."  
  
"It's not worth it. Let's go home and try to think up an excuse to where we went this morning."  
  
Kito forced himself up and dusted the sand from the front of his fur. "We've come this far... we're that much closer to Rafiki's tree. We _can't_ give up yet."  
  
"But I'm tired, Kito. I don't wanna walk anymore," Bango said, closing his eyes.  
  
Kito crawled over on his knees and pulled Bango's eyelids open, looking at him straight in the eye. "Well, _I_ haven't exactly had my caffeine for the day either, but the sun's rising and soon the buzzards will be circling. And as fun as Bowling for Buzzards is, our dads tell us not to play without them." He released the eyelids, which snapped back into place. "Besides, if we give up now, _fortune_ won't be fortunate to us."  
  
Bango rubbed his eyes and mumbled with a sarcastic air, "Oh, yeah... fortune favors the brave. The saying's a day old now, so now it's an _old_ saying."  
  
Kito climbed on top of Bango's head and pulled on his ears. "That's right! Now, let's find a safe spot to crash to catch up on our sleep."  
  
"Haven't you been paying attention to me or _yourself?_ We both said we couldn't go another step further," Bango said, glancing up at the pup.  
  
Kito slid down the side of Bango's snout and slumped against him. "Yeah, you're right. I guess we can rest for a few minutes."  
  
"Yay." Bango laid his head down again and instantly started snoring.  
  
Kito folded his arms in front of his chest and continued to lean against Bango, closing his own eyes with a yawn. It was just before he fell asleep when he started to smell something. He smiled and opened his eyes. "_Hey,_ something smells good."  
  
"What are you having?" Bango mumbled with his eyes closed.  
  
Kito sniffed the air a bit. "I'm not sure, but it smells familiar."  
  
Bango lifted his head up and sniffed. "Sure does. It smells like... like..."  
  
"Like..." Kito took a few more sniffs, and then he noticed the sun had begun to heat the sand, and the sand around them was getting hotter. "Hmm. Y'know, I just realized something."  
  
"What's that?" Bango asked, looking at his cousin.  
  
"I think _we're_ the ones who smell good. I think the hot sand is baking us," Kito pointed at the steam rising from around his feet.  
  
Bango looked, and noticed steam was beginning to rise from around himself. "Hmm. Yes, I do believe you're right."  
  
They glanced at each other dryly for a moment, and then screamed as the searing hot pain kicked in. They both jumped to their feet, yelping from the hot sand under their feet and started running blindly forward. They finally reached the end of the desert and jumped into a nearby water hole.  
  
They resurfaced and sighed happily as they cooled off. "Now I know why Mom says we're not suppose to use the oven," Kito said as he walked to the bank. He shook the water out of his fur. He noticed his hair was a mess of spikes, so he licked a paw and smoothed it forward into its normal mess.  
  
"Yeah. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to stay in the desert to rest," Bango said, shaking the water out of his fur, most of it splashing back onto Kito.  
  
Kito growled softly and shook the water out of his fur. "No, it wasn't. I _think_ we're in the outskirts of the Pride Lands. Which way do you wanna go?"  
  
"What do you mean? Don't you _know_ where Rafiki's tree is?" Bango asked, pressing his snout against Kito's nose.  
  
Kito smiled nervously, "In all honesty? No."  
  
Bango furrowed his brow and snorted hot air onto Kito's fur. "You mean to tell me we have no idea where Rafiki's tree is, meaning we have to ask strangers and-or search **_every stinkin' tree_** until we find him?!"  
  
Kito gulped, "In so many words? Yes."  
  
"Kito, we'll be spending _more_ time looking for _**Rafiki**_ than we will for Uncle Titus!"  
  
"It'll be good exercise. What are you complaining about?"  
  
"We're half a day's travel from home, our parents don't know where we are, and we're looking for someone we've never-_ever_ met in our entire lives all because of an idea _you_ got **_while on a sugar rush!_**"  
  
Kito fell onto his back as Bango continued to press his snout against the pup. "Are you finished?"  
  
"**_And we spent all of last night tracking through a desert that nearly fried us when the sun finally came up!_**" Bango panted and then sat down, seeming to have calmed down.  
  
Kito sat up and narrowed his eyes slightly. "Feel better, big guy?"  
  
"Lots, actually. Thanks." Bango stood and started to walk back towards the desert.  
  
Kito jumped to his feet and grabbed the warthog's tail, pulling back, letting his feet drag as Bango continued to walk. "Hey-hey-hey, where are _you_ going? _That_ way leads right back to the oasis!"  
  
"Exactly. That's the one place I _don't_ need directions for."  
  
Kito clenched his teeth as he continued to try pulling the warthog back. "Bango, what about finding Uncle Titus?"  
  
"We didn't have a chance finding him in the first place, Kito. I'm going home and trying to avoid a larger grounding by being gone half a day instead of a week."  
  
"_But--_" He gulped when Bango lifted his tail up high, lifting the pup with it. With a flick of the tail Kito lost his grip and was sent flying with a scream. He landed back into the watering hole. He resurfaced, coughing. He growled, "Who said he acts just like his father?" He yelled after Bango, "Uncle Pumbaa wouldn't leave my dad alone for his own selfish reasons like _you're_ doing right now!"  
  
"Guilt trips won't work this time!" Bango called over his shoulder. He stopped, blinking, when Kito suddenly appeared in front of him on his knees and his paws clasped together, begging.  
  
"**_Please,_** Bango! I don't want to be left out here all alone! I don't wanna turn around and give up without looking a little! If we give up now, Dad and Grandma will stay mopey and continue not speaking to each other! All I'm asking is one day--just _**one day**_--and if we don't find Rafiki we'll go home!"  
  
"Do you promise?" Bango asked with an arched brow.  
  
"I promise, I promise, I **_pro-o-o-omise!!_**" Kito jumped to his feet, suddenly changing his attitude and added, "And besides, you and I haven't slept all night... do you _really_ wanna try sleeping out in the desert and get our butts baked again?"  
  
Bango thought for a moment, recalling what that was like, and gulped. "Not really." He furrowed his brow and turned back to Kito. "All right... one and a half days, and if we can't find Rafiki, we're going straight back to the oasis."  
  
"One _and a half?_" Kito blinked.  
  
"We'll spend the half sleeping."  
  
"Deal!" Kito offered a balled up paw, to which Bango slapped, and Kito returned the favor with the balled up paw. "Now come on! Let's find some place to sleep."  
  
Kito turned around and started to march back towards the Pride Lands. Bango shook his head and sighed, "I was _so close_ to getting out of trouble..." He sped to a trot to catch up to Kito.  
  
_To be continued..._


	9. Proud of Your Boy

OK, I'm back again, a little late than past work, but this time I had an excuse. I heard the demo of _Proud of Your Boy_ on the _Aladdin_ soundtrack, and thought it sounded just like Timon and his mother. I wanted to wait to see what the storyboards looked like before I did anything, so that's why I waited a week for the DVD before I did anything. Woulda continued outside of the dream sequence, but didn't wanna make this chapter too long. Anyway, I rather like this section... hope you do, too! UPDATE: Had to remove _Proud of Your Boy_ lyrics. Sigh.

Chapter 9:

The sun was rising over the oasis, but Timon refused to be awake yet. He stayed up late waiting for Zuri to return to the nest, so he expected himself to sleep later than normally. Also, the sooner he would wake up, the sooner he knew he would get lectured by his mate about the "L" word, or think up an excuse as to why he should avoid talking to his mother.

_But why should I avoid talking to her? She's my mother. She supported me when no one else did... when no one could stand being around me because of my clumsiness.  
_  
He felt the wind brush against his fur, as if it were trying to wake him up. He grumbled as he shifted in his nest, "Five more minutes, Dad. I'm not done with this dream."

The dream... The sun had begun to set. Timon was two years old. He walked down the tunnel, passing by a line of meerkats passing rocks to each other. He stopped, and took a few steps backwards to glance at the last few meerkats standing in the line.

"Doesn't anyone believe in sleep anymore? I mean, in-between times we dig to hide and hide to dig, sleep's gotta fit in there _somewhere,_ right? I mean, correct me if I'm wrong here."

"We quit after the sun _completely_ goes down, you know that," the meerkat at the end of the line said.

"Yeah, right. How can you tell when the sun goes down from down _here?_" Timon asked as he started to walk away. He then began to mumble to himself, "Maybe I should put a skylight in." He continued to mumble to himself as he walked down the tunnel, and then he slowed when he heard his mother's voice nearby, but could yet make out what she was saying. _Guess I'll see if she wants to have supper with me. _He started to walk towards the sound of the voice, but stopped before turning the corner when he heard another voice.

"Panya, we don't need him breaking his current record," Uncle Max said to Timon's mother. "If you tell him to take the day off, maybe spend some mother-son time together, we can actually _finish_ the current project." Timon leaned against the wall to listen to them.

"I don't want to lie to him," Ma said.

"And I don't want to repair the tunnel because of _your_ son's two left digging paws," Max said, poking her in the shoulder.

Timon furrowed his brow as he looked at his two paws. _I've got one left paw and one right paw like everyone else. What is he talking about?  
_  
"You can't blame him for trying. Ever since Buzz died he's tried every possible way to be appreciated in this colony."

"He's trying too hard _trying_ and not enough time _doing._"

Ma interlocked her fingers together and bit her lower lip. "You can't _do_ unless you _try,_ Max. He just hasn't gotten that far yet."

"Well, my patience has worn thin. Tell him his presence at the construction site will not be necessary."

Ma furrowed her brow. "Remind me why _I'm_ the one who's suppose to tell him instead of you."

Max poked Ma's shoulder again. "Because you're the pup's mother. He'll listen to you if he knows what's good for him. He doesn't listen to me."

"I think that's because he's still scarred from when you slapped him as a pup," Ma said, folding her arms in front of her chest.

"He had it coming and you know it, Panya!" Timon winced at that. "Because of his stupidity I lost a nephew that day!" Timon rubbed his left cheek, remembering the sting he received that day.

"And Timon lost his father. I'm all he has left."

"You were so busy cuddling him, you forgot to teach him how to be a meerkat!"

"Yeah, and unfortunately, I left that to you."

"I had nothing to work with! I mean, come on, I'm not a miracle worker!" Timon wrinkled his nose and growled softly. "Aside from the fact that he's your son, I hardly even know why you _like_ him. He hasn't done anything worth mentioning besides holding the record for Most Tunnels Collapsed in a Single Week." Timon's shoulders sunk as he realized his great-uncle had a point.

Ma sighed, "I admit, he hasn't exactly made a name for himself like Buzz did, but I know we'll find a place for him in this colony and he'll find a way to make me proud; make us _all_ proud."

Timon took a few steps back away from the wall, as it sounded close to the end of the conversation and he didn't want to make it look like he was listening. "Maybe, but I'm not holding my breath. You just be sure to give him the message."

"All right, I'll try to talk him out of going to work tomorrow."

Max growled, "Don't try. _Do._ Good night, Panya."

Timon began to walk around the corner as Uncle Max past him with a grunt. "Right... good night, Max," Ma said with a roll of her eyes.

"Hey, Ma. Did I... catch you at a bad time?" Timon asked with a blink.

"Oh, no, not at all, sweetie. Why?" Ma asked with a smile.

"Well, I was gonna ask if you wanted to join me for supper tonight. But I guess it's getting about that time to sleep and--"

"Don't be silly, Timmy. I've always got time for you," Ma said as she padded her son's cheek.

"Well, I haven't gathered them up yet, so it may take me a little--"

"I've _always_ got time for you, if I don't fall asleep waiting, that is."

Timon shrugged as he began to walk away, "What are the chances of that happening tonight? I'll meet you back at your nest then."

"All right."

Timon looked back at his mother as she began to walk away, and lowered his eyes slightly. When his mother mentioned he's yet to make her proud, it reminded him of another time.

_"I swear, no matter what, you and your father always seem to disagree on something. Why?" _

_"Well, I'm tired of doing everything his way, or Uncle Max's way. They're always picking on me."_

_"Oh, sweetie, you won't be a pup forever, and whether your father or Uncle Max like it or not, you'll be making your own way soon. Whatever you do, I know you're going to make me proud."_

_"You really think so?"_

_"Even Dad."_

"Dad never did say he was proud of me before the hyena attack," Timon said to himself. He watched in the direction his mother went. "What if something happens to her before she says she's proud of me?" He sighed and continued to walk in the tunnel. "I know I can make her proud if I try hard enough." He climbed out of the tunnel to the surface and inhaled the damp night air. "I've been wasting all this time trying instead of doing. Guess it's safe to say I'm slow for my age."

He went over to some small bushes and dug at the roots, dropping some small bugs into a pile as he dug them up. He pouted his lips for a moment, picked up a rock, and then he ran over to the tree and rock sentry point and began to climb up the tree. "I know I can stop being so clumsy if I _really_ set my mind to it." He made it to the top of the tree and threw the rock near a group of bird nests. The sudden sound surprised the birds, which took wing, abandoning their nests and flew directly over Timon's head. "Someday soon, I'll make you and Dad proud that I'm your son."

Hequickly climbed down the tree and ran over to the abandoned nests, surveying them to see which had the best eggs. He held them up to the moonlight--the best he could anyway--to see how fresh they were. "That's a good one..." He set it aside and picked up another. "OK, I'll admit that I've been extra lazy these days, but when Uncle Max sends me away so much I have nothing else to do. He keeps telling me I'm no good..." He sighed as he looked up at the sky. "But... that can't be all I am."

He shook his head and sighed. He ended up taking two eggs from two different nests and rolled them back over to his pile of bugs he dug up. He went back to the tree, climbed up it, and plucked several leaves from the branches. He nodded to his father's grave at the base of the rock and slid back down to earth. He gathered his bugs together into a makeshift bag he made out of the leaves and tied the ends around his shoulders. He then rolled the two eggs back towards the tunnel. He carefully carried the two eggs down, one at a time, and rolled them towards his mother's nest. He was about to announce he was there, but his mother was already asleep in her nest.

Though a bit disappointed, Timon smiled and shook his head. "Somehow I knew that was gonna happen. Oh well." He silently rolled the two eggs to the foot of her nest and undid the makeshift bag wrapped around his shoulders. He laid more than half of the load next to the eggs and set the rest to the side for himself. He took the extra leaves and laid them over his mother like a blanket. "I can't change what I've done so far, but I'll do my extra-very best to make good in this colony. And that's a promise."

Timon leaned forward and kissed his mother on the cheek, pulling the leaf blanket over her shoulders. "Good-night, Ma." He then took what was left of the bugs he gathered and quietly walked away towards his own nest.

Timon finally awoke from his dream. He sat up, stretched, and yawned. He noticed he was the only one in the nest, and sighed in relief. "Well, I can avoid talking to Zuri for a while anyway..." He jumped out of the nest and stretched a bit more. He yawned as he walked away, "I'd better straighten things out with Ma." _No reason for me to avoid talking to_ her...

_To be continued..._


	10. Strong Evidence

Chapter 10:  
  
Timon walked away from his nest, trying to figure out what time of day it was, so he could determine where his mother would be. As he looked up to find the position of the sun he saw Shani draped over a tree branch about six feet over his head, asleep. He stopped and looked up at her with a slightly irritated look.  
  
"I know she said she wanted a tree house, but I didn't think she'd go _this_ far," he mumbled to himself. He cleared his throat to wake it up a bit, cupped his paws to the sides of his mouth, and called up to his daughter, "Shani! The bus is here!"  
  
Shani sat up in a rush. "_**Bus?!**_ Why'd you wait to wake me up?! I--" She forgot where she spent the night, so as she went to get out of bed, she dropped from the branch with a scream.  
  
Timon held his arms out to catch her, and she fell squarely into his arms. "I couldn't think of a _simpler_ way to wake her up?" Timon dryly asked himself.  
  
Shani wiggled to get down from her father's arms. "Lemme down, Daddy! You said the bu-- Wait a second... what's a bus?" Shani blinked.  
  
"I don't know. That's what your grandmother used to get me up in the morning when I was your age."  
  
Shani jumped down from Timon's arms and smoothed her fur out. "Whatever happened to waking up to the smell of breakfast, instead of waking up on a branch?"  
  
"A better question is, what were you doing up there?"  
  
She tried to think of an excuse of why she didn't return to the nest and fell asleep on a tree branch without spilling the beans about Kito and Bango... or that she had a midnight snack without her father. "I dunno... maybe I sleepwalked. What can I say?" Shani innocently smiled and shrugged.  
  
"Uh-huh... then I don't suppose you know where Grandma Panya is?"  
  
"Mm-mmm."  
  
"Your mother?"  
  
"Na-uh."  
  
"Your brother?"  
  
"Nope."  
  
Timon pressed his nose against hers. "What _do_ you know then?"  
  
"Besides that you have stinky morning breath?" Timon stood up straight, breathed into his paw and sniffed it. He furrowed his brow. Shani nervously smiled. "I know girls are always right. Mom says so and she's the boss..." She gulped at her father's annoyed expression and flashed a big toothy smile. "Well, that's what _she_ said anyway."  
  
Timon looked at her for a moment, thinking about that off-topic reply carefully. He then smiled and gave her a pat on the head. "Well, if your mother said it, it must be true. As long as there are boys in their lives girls are always right." He shook his head and sighed with a smile. "Especially wives."  
  
"Really? I can't wait until _I_ get married!"  
  
Timon gave her a light tap on the chin and said, "Oh, yes you can." Shani pouted slightly. "Pouting won't work. It didn't work for me and I won't let it work for you."  
  
"Crud."  
  
Timon bent over and kissed her on the forehead. "If it makes you feel any better, you helped me decide I should openly tell my feelings to your mother no matter what's lodged in my throat or how dry or sticky my mouth feels. I shouldn't be having trouble saying it if I really mean it."  
  
"I don't really know what you're talking about, but I'm glad I could help," Shani blinked.  
  
"Now, I'm going to look for your mother... or grandmother, whichever I can find first. I really need to talk to them. I want you to find Barika and play with her for a while until I get back. Then we'll go gather some of the little cream-filled kind with Uncle Pumbaa."  
  
"All right, but I'd rather look for the crunchies. 'Bye, Daddy."  
  
Timon began to walk away, but then he stopped, and turned back to Shani as she began to walk away. "Oh, and one more thing, Shani..."  
  
Shani stopped and looked back at her father. "Yeah?"  
  
Timon folded his arms in front of his chest and furrowed his brow slightly. "Is there something you're not telling me?"  
  
"W-What do you mean, Daddy?"  
  
He arched an eyebrow at her slight stutter. "Are you sure you were _'sleepwalking'_ last night?"  
  
"Uh... I uh..."  
  
"I knew it," Timon sneered.  
  
Shani gulped, "Daddy, I can expl--"  
  
"There's no excuse, pup. You were midnight snacking without me, weren't you?"  
  
Shani blinked, surprised. She thought somehow he knew about Kito and Bango. "Midnight snacking... that's what you're talking about?"  
  
"Yeah. What did you think I was talking about?" Timon asked, arching an eyebrow again.  
  
Shani chuckled slightly and shrugged, "Oh, nothing. I guess I did because I don't feel hungry, but I don't remember waking up to eat anything... there _is_ such a thing as sleep-eating in this jungle."  
  
"Sleep-_eating,_ Shani? Name one person in this oasis that sleep-eats."  
  
"Bango."  
  
Timon looked at her for a moment, and then nodded. "All right, I'll let it slide this time. But let it happen again, I'm not sharing my desserts for a week."  
  
"_What?_ That can't be legal."  
  
Timon grinned and folded his arms in front of his chest. "Need I remind you that I'm your father, and I'm in charge of you and your brother when Mom's away?"  
  
Shani rolled her eyes with a soft giggle. "No, Daddy." With that she turned on her heels and ran towards the warthogs' nest.  
  
Timon shook his head with a grin and started walking again. "That's Zuri's daughter." He looked down at his feet as he walked, frowned as he slowed his pace, and then finally stopped. He noticed odd footprints in the dirt, a few with deep claw impressions, as if they were dug out of kicking feet. He bent down for a closer look to examine just how deep. "Hmm... too small for an adult, and too deep for a sleep-walking/sleep-eating meerkat pup," he mumbled to himself as he traced the impressions with his fingertips. "And they don't look fresh either." He blinked when a shadow was suddenly cast over him and the marks, so he looked up.  
  
"Trying to make sense out of those markings, Timon?" Ma asked, standing in front of him.  
  
"Well, you don't see these kind of marks everyday, Ma." Timon cleared his throat and stood, dusting his knees off. "We need to talk."  
  
"Yes, we do."  
  
"I'll start first." Timon took his mother's paws into his own. "I'm sorry about what I said and the way I reacted yesterday. I just didn't know how to express my--"  
  
"I had it coming, sweetie. I guess I was doing more than just forgetting about the pain of losing a son. It hurt so bad I didn't want you to feel it, too. Your father thought I should tell you when you were old enough to understand, but I couldn't find the words to say it."  
  
"I know how that goes."  
  
"When you and your father were starting to get along he decided he would tell you about Titus if I wouldn't. But that was the day..." Ma lowered her eyes.  
  
"The day Mataka and his pack attacked?" Timon finished.  
  
Ma nodded. "I wanted to tell you after that, but then you got so focused on trying to get the colony's approval of you again and feel that you'd make your father proud."  
  
"But then I always made a mess out of myself or something else," Timon lowered his eyes slightly.  
  
"I didn't want to add to your misery at any time by telling you about your lost brother."  
  
"That makes sense, I guess. And you couldn't tell me about it after I got the colony's approval and moved them to the oasis because I left to be Kiara's babysitter for a year."  
  
"That's right. In that long time I guess I had forgotten about ever needing to tell you. I'm sorry, Timmy."  
  
Timon closed his eyes and smiled slightly. "Well, I guess I can't blame you for that." He opened them to look at her again. "You sure I didn't have any other siblings I don't know about?"  
  
Ma chuckled, "I'm pretty sure, but there _is_ something else I wanted to tell you."  
  
"What is it?"  
  
Before she could open her mouth Pumbaa came trotting up to them. "_Timon!_"  
  
"Oy," Ma whispered to herself, rubbing her eyes.  
  
"What is it, Pumbaa? You're gonna tell me I had a sister now?" Timon asked, still annoyed that Pumbaa knew about his brother before Timon did.  
  
"You had a sister?" Pumbaa blinked as he stopped by the two. He suddenly shook his head. "No, that's not what I came over for. Have either of you seen Bango?"  
  
"I'm afraid I haven't," Ma said, shaking her head.  
  
"I just woke up a little while ago," Timon said.  
  
"_You_ haven't seen him either? Oh, now I'm _really_ worried," Pumbaa said as he started pacing.  
  
"Calm down, Pumbaa. He's probably playing with Kito somewhere. Ask someone else."  
  
"I did. Jina and I asked everyone and searched everywhere, and I mean _everywhere_ and _everyone._ _Inside_ the oasis, _outside_ the oasis, _**all around**_ the inside and outside of the oasis! We probably asked everyone and searched everywhere two or more times! No one's seen him!" He added in a less worried tone, "Well, I didn't ask _everyone_ twice or more. I didn't ask Shani because she was still asleep, and you were still asleep, and I couldn't find Kito."  
  
"They're both around here somewhere." Timon watched his best buddy pace, and then he looked back down at the claw marks in the dirt. His eyes squinted slightly, and then he looked back at Pumbaa. "Was he in the nest when you woke up this morning?"  
  
"No, and that's what really got me worried."  
  
"Neither of my pups were in the nest when I got up, but Shani said she sleep-walked and slept on a tree branch last night." Timon looked to his mother. "Ma, have you seen Kito today?"  
  
"No, I haven't," Ma shook her head.  
  
"Kito's missing, too?" Pumbaa asked as he stopped in mid-pace.  
  
"He might be. These marks in the ground aren't exactly fresh, probably made during the night. And they're about the size a meerkat pup would make."  
  
"Maybe Kito was midnight snacking."  
  
"I don't know... there are a lot of these marks. Some are deeper than others. It almost looks like a struggle."  
  
"A _struggle?_" both Pumbaa and Ma asked.  
  
"But who would he struggle with?" Ma asked, putting a paw to her chin.  
  
Timon's eyes widened as he looked to Pumbaa. "We haven't seen Kito or Bango since last night... there are possible struggle marks in the dirt, possibly made by Kito... Pumbaa, are you thinking what I'm thinking?"  
  
"I don't know... what _are_ you thinking?"  
  
Timon jumped to his feet and pulled Pumbaa's snout down to his level, looking at him square in the face with a panicked expression. "I think someone came into the oasis in the dead of night and _kidnapped our sons!_"  
  
"**_Kidnapped?!_**"  
  
Timon and Pumbaa both gulped when they realized neither them nor Ma shouted that. They looked over to see Jina and Zuri standing there. Zuri ran over and grabbed the front of Timon's chest fur. "Our son's been **_kidnapped?!_**"  
  
"There's a lot of strong evidence, Zuri," Timon nervously replied.  
  
"But who'd want to kidnap Kito and Bango?" Jina asked as she walked over next to Pumbaa. "We don't have any enemies, do we?"  
  
"She's got a point," Pumbaa said as he felt Timon climb onto his back and then onto his head.  
  
"Well, they're not here, and they wouldn't have a real reason to leave without us, right?" Timon asked as he leaned forward to look down at Pumbaa.  
  
"Right..."  
  
"Sounds like they were kidnapped to me. So Pumbaa, you and me, we're gonna go track the kidnappers down and bring our boys back."  
  
"And what are the rest of us suppose to do, _Great_ Timon?" Zuri asked, folding her arms in front of her chest and tapping her foot.  
  
"_Oy,_" Timon mumbled as he rubbed his eyes. He exhaled and glanced down at her. "_Someone_ has to stay here and take care of the girls. Why not the mothers?"  
  
"But I _really_ need to talk to you--"  
  
"I know, and I _really_ want to talk to you, but Kito could be in danger and I have to get him out of it." Timon added with a grin, "I _am_ the son of Fearless Buzz after all."  
  
Zuri rolled her eyes briefly, "Don't flatter yourself."  
  
Timon furrowed his brow. "I know it's important that we talk, but which is more important to you, talking to me or finding our son?"  
  
"_Our_ son?" Zuri asked with a slight grin.

"Yes, _our_ son." Zuri put a paw to her chin, in deep thought. Timon sighed and furrowed his brow a little deeper. He couldn't believe she was actually thinking it over. "_Zuri..._ we need to find our son. Talking can wait... can't it?"  
  
Zuri looked back up at Timon, and let out a small giggle. "I love it when you _beg._" Timon frowned, and Zuri sighed. "All right, just get your skinny tail back here quick. You know I hate waiting."  
  
Timon swallowed, "Right." He straightened himself up and took hold of Pumbaa's ears. "We'll get the boys back, I promise." He pulled on Pumbaa ears and shouted, "Let's whip some grass, Pumbaa!"  
  
With that Pumbaa took off running, out towards the desert. Jina looked down at the two meerkats standing next to her. "Do you think we should've gone with them, Zuri?"  
  
"I don't think, Jina. I _know_ we should've gone with them," Zuri said as she sneered after Timon and Pumbaa. "I have plenty to say to that man that can't wait that long, and I'm worried I'm going to be angry when I finally talk to him."  
  
"He told us to stay."  
  
"Oh, I'm staying," Zuri said as she folded her arms in front of her chest, "but I'm not happy."  
  
"Neither am I," Ma said as she lowered her eyes. She never got to tell Timon what she was going to say either.  
  
_To be continued..._


	11. Playing With His Food

Chapter 11:  
  
The day was still young, and since they had not gotten much sleep, Kito and Bango found a hollowed log to crash. It was wide enough to fit both in comfortably... _almost._  
  
Bango opened an eye as he felt Kito move around on his back. "Kito, could ya stop moving around so much and go to sleep? You're wasting the half a day before we look for Rafiki's tree."  
  
Kito growled as he sat up and rubbed his near blood-shot eyes. "I can't get comfortable! Your spine is all bony and bumpy. Now I know why my dad slept on your dad's stomach. Roll over, would ya?"  
  
"I'm comfortable, thank you."  
  
"How can _you_ be comfortable in a hollowed out tree?"  
  
"It's a soft wood. You should try it."  
  
Kito yawned deeply and slumped forward on Bango's back. "I would, except I don't wanna get squished in case you eventually do roll over. I'd sleep in front of you if I didn't wanna get breathed on and get my fur wrinkled."  
  
Bango lifted his head up and looked back at his cousin. "Are you sure you just want to stay up so you have a reason to be cranky?"  
  
Kito gave the warthog a tight, scary smile as he slowly retorted, "I am _not_ cranky, Bango. I'm... sleep deprived."  
  
Bango shrugged and laid his head back down to sleep. "Same thing."  
  
Kito mumbled as he gathered some of Bango's skin up to make a pillow, "_Same thing_, I oughta..." He continued to mumble as he laid his head down, closed his eyes, and covered his ears as Bango started snoring.  
  
The snoring could be heard on the outside, it was a hollow log after all. A pair of hazel eyes peeked out from the tall grass. The body they were attached to was crouched down low. The thing's shoulders shifted slightly and it let out a soft growl, preparing to pounce.  
  
Inside the log Kito had just about fallen asleep when he felt Bango's body jerk suddenly. He first thought it was Bango kicking in his dream or something and his body reacted. But then it happened again, so he lifted his head up, reached up, and grabbed onto Bango's ear. "Quit dreaming you're chasing something."  
  
"Am not," Bango mumbled.  
  
"Are too. If you're not, they why did I feel something move?"  
  
"I wasn't moving." Bango lifted his head up to look back at Kito. "I thought it was _you._"  
  
"Any moving I'd be doing would be on your _back,_ not the entire log. I'm not as big as you."  
  
Bango furrowed his brow. "Are you calling me fat?"  
  
Kito didn't get a chance to reply. They both gulped when they felt the log start rolling with them in it. They jumped to their feet and started running along with the rolling. "Is it just me, or are you getting motion sick, too?"  
  
They felt the log come to a sudden stop, probably got stopped by a rock. The sudden stop surprised them and they fell forward, crashing through the worn-down log. They panted, tired. They didn't want to move again. They both gulped again when they heard a soft growl from behind them. They both covered their eyes and quivered as they heard the growl walk around the log to meet them. The growling continued to ring through their ears... but that was the _only_ thing. No roaring, no slashing, no unpleasant noises whatsoever.  
  
Bango slowly lifted a hoof from his eye and peeked. In front of the warthog and meerkat was a cheetah... cub. It was a three or four month old cheetah _cub._ The cub was crouched down, his rear in the air with his tail swishing quickly from side-to-side. He continued to growl as he stared at the two. "Uh... Kito?"  
  
"You want me to apologize, don't you? For dragging you out here. Well--"  
  
Bango uncovered both hooves from his eyes and nudged the pup. "Kito, open your eyes and look."  
  
Kito peeked through his fingers, and then lifted his paws from his eyes. He jumped to his feet and dashed back into the log. "_**Cheetah!**_" The cheetah growled and hopped from side-to-side, batting a paw at Bango. Kito poked his head back out when he realized there wasn't any killing going on.  
  
"Um, Kito, I know neither of us are familiar with cheetah behavior... but what's he doing?" Bango motioned to the cheetah.  
  
"If I had to guess, I'd say he's playing with his food," Kito said dryly as he walked back out.  
  
"Come on, guys! I wanna play!" the cheetah said as he got out of his playful attack mode to sit in front of the two. "I'll take you both on! Play any game you want! I'll even be it!"  
  
"It?" both Kito and Bango asked, blinking.

"Yeah, you know, a game of tag? You run, I tag... get it?" the cheetah said with a toothy grin.

"Oh, we _get it_, all right," Kito said gulping as he hid behind Bango. "We run, and you _tag_ us with your teeth."

"With my _teeth?_" the cheetah blinked, a little confused.

"Well, wasn't that what you had in mind? We're cheetah food, aren't we?" Bango asked as he sat up.  
  
The cheetah tilted his head to the side. "Cheetah _food?_ I thought you were a pig and a mongoose."  
  
"Warthog," Bango corrected him dryly.  
  
"Meerkat," Kito corrected him dryly.  
  
"And I think we're below you on the food chain."  
  
The cheetah blinked and put a paw to his chin. "Oh, so _that's_ why you were scared of me. I thought it was just when you were with parents."  
  
"Why's that?" Kito asked, peeking from behind Bango, and ducking back behind him when the cheetah looked at him.  
  
"Well, the parents think they know better and that they're saving their kids from being eaten, I guess. I just wanted to play with them."  
  
"You want to play with your food?" Bango asked, referring to himself and Kito with a gesture of the hoof.  
  
"You guys aren't food. Food is what Mom would drag over by the throat to me. And they don't move."  
  
"Speaking of which, where _is_ your mom?" Kito looked around nervously.  
  
The cheetah bowed his head and lowered his eyes. "She got sick. We both went to sleep one night, but I was the only one to wake up."  
  
Kito and Bango both looked at each other and gulped. "Sorry," they both said.  
  
The cheetah suddenly perked up. "So now I go where I want without Mom nagging me about what not to do. Although it's harder to get good food without her."  
  
"What do you eat then?" Bango asked, blinking.  
  
"Grass, fruit, whatever falls out of trees. They taste bad, but better than starving," the cheetah said, twitching his nose.  
  
"Poor guy, being forced to eat fruits and vegetables because he can't hunt."  
  
"You know I'd like to help him, Bango, but we're wasting our day and a half here. I don't want to spend it with a poor cheetah cub that doesn't know how to hunt. We gotta find Rafiki's tree, remember?" Kito asked as he climbed on top of Bango's head.  
  
"Rafiki? You mean the shaman?" the cheetah overheard.  
  
"You know him?" both Kito and Bango asked.  
  
"Not really, but Mom told me if I ever had trouble I couldn't handle on my own to go to his tree. I haven't been starving, so I couldn't think of any other time I'd be in trouble."  
  
"_**You know where Rafiki's tree is?!**_" the warthog and meerkat were frozen in shock.  
  
"Yup." The cheetah stood and stretched. "I'd show you the way, but I'm getting hungry. Gotta find something that'll taste better going down than up."  
  
Kito put a paw to his chin, thinking. Gaining a little courage he asked, "Have you tried bugs?"  
  
"Bugs?" The cheetah tapped his front paw as he thought, and then shook his head. "Never came to mind."  
  
"Let's make a deal. We'll teach you how to catch bugs..."  
  
"_Really?_" the cheetah's tail began to swish as he smiled.  
  
"_If_ you point us in the right direction to Rafiki's tree."

"_Really?_" Bango asked, a little nervous now that they would be finding Rafiki's tree.  
  
"Really both ways! Deal?" Kito jumped onto Bango's snout and offered the cheetah his paw. "I'm Kito, and this is my cousin Bango."  
  
The cheetah looked at the paw, and instead licked Kito from toe to head, leaving the pup in a mess of saliva. "Deal. And I'm Morake."  
  
"Morake...?" Kito nervously smiled as he shook some drool from his arm. "A simple paw shake woulda sufficed."  
  
_To be continued..._


	12. Practice Makes Perfect

Chapter 12:  
  
A few hours had passed. Pumbaa walked through the desert paying no attention to the heat while Timon paced along Pumbaa's back, muttering to himself.  
  
Timon stopped and smiled to himself. "Oh, that's good. That is _so_ good."  
  
"Thought of something?" Pumbaa asked while still looking ahead.  
  
"Nah, it's good, but it'll never work."  
  
"Oh. If you say so."  
  
"You're a lot of help, pork chop."  
  
"Well, maybe if you actually _told_ me what were you doing," Pumbaa said as he glanced back at the frustrated meerkat.  
  
"Practicing."  
  
"Practicing what?"  
  
"Apologizing to Zuri, and practice makes perfect. Right now I'm having trouble expressing myself without my mouth drying up."  
  
"Well, if you kept your mouth shut the sand wouldn't be blowing your way."  
  
"No, it's not the sand, Pumbaa! I'm in _deep_ with the missus because of what _didn't_ come out of my mouth."  
  
Pumbaa sighed and rolled his eyes, "Oh, boy, what'd you say _now?_"  
  
Pumbaa blinked when Timon suddenly jumped onto his snout to look at him square in the eye. "It's what I _didn't_ say. And I don't like the way you asked that."  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry. I guess I was thinking out loud again. Anyway, what's Zuri mad at you about?"  
  
Timon cleared his throat, as if attempting to say something hard. "I try to tell her, I really do, but no matter what, I can't say I l...luh..._guh..._ _oy!_" He coughed a few times and swallowed. "I can't say the 'L' word without doing that, at least when I'm thinking about saying it." He paced back and forth on Pumbaa's snout. "Oh, I can say it when I'm referring to someone in general, as a mumble, when I'm not thinking about saying it, or as a reply... _most_ of the time anyway."  
  
"The 'L' word?"  
  
Timon made some motions with his paws. "You know, that _special_ emotion you have between mates and parents and your children..."  
  
"Tolerance? Oh, wait, that's the 'T' word. You mean love?"  
  
Timon stared at Pumbaa for a moment, dropped down from his snout to his lips, and pried his mouth open. "Amazing. Your mouth didn't dry up when you said that." He climbed back up and stared at Pumbaa again, a bit amazed. "How'd you _do_ that?"  
  
Pumbaa stopped walking as he carefully thought of a reply. "Well, I'm more in touch with my emotions than you are, since you're like a Mr. Smart-Aleck Tough Guy."  
  
"Hey, I used to think girls liked that in a man," Timon helplessly shrugged.  
  
"You mean you're having trouble telling Zuri you love her?"  
  
"In so many words? Yes. I feel like my heart gets stuck in my throat, or my mouth feels sticky or dries up. But that shouldn't be a problem anyway, right? Actions speak louder than words, don't they? That should be enough, right? Tell me I'm right, Pumbaa."  
  
"Females are more sensitive and gentler than males. They need to be told these things." He paused, and then asked, "You _do_ love her, don't you?"  
  
Timon put a paw to his chin in a sarcastic manner, "_Gee,_ let me think. I secretly left home to meet her, I arranged a plan to get her out of her arranged marriage to Makali, I saved her from Mataka the hyena, I saved her father from Mataka, and we put on the mother of all guilt tri--" He paused, realizing even Pumbaa didn't know about that particular guilt trip. He cleared his throat and shouted, "_**Of course I love her! You think I'd waste my time for an act of** **charity?!**_"  
  
Pumbaa grinned, "So, you _are_ capable of saying it."  
  
"Huh?" Timon blinked, not realizing he said it. He took a moment to think about what he just said, and then he furrowed his brow and folded his arms in front of his chest. "Well, like I said, there are certain occasions I can say it. I wasn't focused on saying it."  
  
"Shouldn't be hard to say it at all if you mean it."  
  
Timon sat down on Pumbaa's snout, sighed, and nodded. "I know you're right. I just don't know why I have trouble saying it. Maybe some kind of encouragement would help." He cleared his throat again. "OK, enough of the 'L' word. We need to focus on finding Kito and Bango, OK? They're more important right now."  
  
Pumbaa nodded, "You're right, Timon. Our poor sons... they're probably _starving_ out there."  
  
_Meanwhile..._  
  
Kito sat against a tree and patted his stomach with a great big smile on his face. "_Ahh..._ I couldn't eat another bug."  
  
Bango was sitting next to him and let out a satisfied sigh. "Ah... yup." He looked over at Morake the cheetah cub, who was crouched down, watching some bugs scurry by. "How can you still be hungry, Morake?"  
  
"I'm a growing cheetah, and I haven't had anything this good in a two weeks," Morake replied, and then pounced onto the bugs, scooping them up into his mouth, chewed, swallowed, and then licked his front paw. "I think we cleaned out most of the bugs in this immediate area."  
  
"Yeah, there aren't as many bugs under the tree bark out here as there is in the oasis. Kinda sad," Bango said as he watched Morake walk over to them.  
  
"Yeah, but whatcha gonna do? We're not living out here," Kito shrugged, and then cleared his throat when he forgot about Morake still having to live there. "I-I mean, we haven't looked _everywhere_ yet. Bugs could more widespread elsewhere."  
  
"Yeah. Thanks for teaching me how to hunt for bugs, guys. Maybe now if I tell other animals I only eat insects they'll let me play with them," Morake said as he swished his tail from side to side.  
  
"You're welcome." Kito jumped to his feet and stretched. "So now it's _your_ turn to live up to your end of the bargain. Point us in the direction of Rafiki's tree and we'll be on our way."  
  
Morake was silent for a moment, as if he was thinking of something. "Right, of course. But, uh, you'll never find it if I just _tell_ you where to find it."  
  
"You think we're bad with directions?"  
  
"No, but there are a lot of directions to follow, twists a-and turns, _oh_ and don't forget the bigger, meat-eating--" His last word was cut off by a low, bellowing, monstrous roar heard off in the distance. Kito and Bango yelped and covered their heads. The roar soon died down, and then all was quiet.  
  
Kito uncovered his head and looked up at Morake. "Morake, what the _heck_ was that?!"  
  
"That didn't sound like a lion, that's for sure," Bango whimpered.  
  
Morake shrugged. "Beats me. We hear it every day out here, three or so times a day. No one ever sees it, but it's always coming from the same direction." He added in a scary, menacing tone, "No one's brave enough to find out what it is. There may have been a few who tried, but uh..." He grinned his sharp, toothy grin. "They never lived to tell the tale."  
  
"Quit it, Morake. You're scaring Kito," Bango said, quivering with his head covered still.  
  
"Sorry. It just seemed appropriate to the moment." Morake cleared his throat. "As I was saying, you two are sure to run into trouble if you get lost on the way to finding the tree." The cheetah puffed his chest out and grinned, "So you'll need me to get you there in one piece and on the first attempt. Besides, I'm bad at giving directions."  
  
"Gee, I don't know..." Bango mumbled, still having his head covered.  
  
Kito got up and lifted Bango's arms from his head. Then he lifted his eyelids open. "As much as I hate to admit it, he's got a point, Bango. We don't know the Pride Lands well enough to look for ourselves. We'll need a guide if we want to find Rafiki and, if he's alive, Uncle Titus."  
  
"OK, OK, just let go of my eyelids." Kito stretched the warthog's eyelids out further, and then Bango quickly said, "_Gently_ let go of my eyelids!"  
  
"Aww, you're no fun." Kito gently released Bango's eyes, and then he cleared his throat and turned to Morake. "I just have one question to ask, Morake."  
  
"_Yes...?_" Morake gulped.  
  
"Are we going to be charged for this guided tour of the Pride Lands?"  
  
Morake exhaled, a little relieved. "Nope. Do you wanna take a tour, or just go straight to the tree?"  
  
"We're in a bit of a hurry, so let's just go with the tree," Bango said.  
  
"Why are you in such a hurry to get back, Bango?" Kito frowned.  
  
"I'm just trying to keep our absence from the oasis short. And the sooner we find Rafiki's tree, _and_ the sooner he tells us Uncle Titus is not alive, we can relieve your sister from covering us."  
  
"If she didn't rat on us already." Kito pulled Bango down to his level and growled, "And don't assume he's not alive, Mr. Mary Sunshine. Disappeared isn't the same as dead."  
  
Morake stood between the two of them, blinking, very lost in the conversation. "_Um..._ do you guys want me to leave so you can bicker alone?"  
  
"We don't bicker," Kito grinned at Morake.  
  
"Do too," Bango retorted.  
  
"Do not!"  
  
"Do too!"  
  
Morake rolled his eyes and laughed. "Are you guys done yet? Don't you want to go to Rafiki's tree?"  
  
Both Kito and Bango gulped, realizing they forgot about going for a moment. They turned to Morake and nodded. "Lead the way." Morake chuckled and lead the way. The warthog and meerkat followed behind him, both muttering their "do not's" and "do too's."  
  
_To be continued..._


	13. Keeping The Promise

Chapter 13:  
  
Shani hummed to herself as she braided the hair at the end of a female warthog piglet's tail. She used a thin piece of vine to tie it in place and admired her work. "There we go, Barika. All done."  
  
The warthog piglet looked back at her tail and swished it a bit, seeing it from a few sides. "Are you sure this time? You decorated my tail about thirty times already."  
  
Shani tapped a foot, thinking. She then smiled and snapped her fingers, running over to a bush of yellow flowers. She plucked one out and then stuck it into the braid. "_Now_ I'm done."  
  
Barika looked at the addition and smiled. "Oh, that is so _cute,_ Shani! But then, so were the other twenty-nine things you did today."  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry, Barika. I was getting bored waiting for Daddy to come back to go hunting for the cream-filled grubs he likes with me and Uncle Pumbaa. I kinda expected him to be done talking to Grandma and Mom by now."  
  
"Maybe he's helping Dad and Mom look for Bango. He wasn't in the nest this morning."  
  
"Oh, really?" Shani gulped, and then she cleared her throat and furrowed her brow. "Well, if he just told me he was gonna join the search party I would've eaten by now. I missed breakfast and it's almost lunch!"  
  
"Hakuna Matata. I'm sure they won't mind if we grab some grub without them, since they left us alone for three or four hours."  
  
Shani giggled, "Yeah, they owe us _that_ much." She walked alongside Barika as they walked away from the warthogs' nest.  
  
"But you know I'm getting worried because of that fact. Why would they just leave us alone for this long?" Barika looked down at her cousin with a worried expression.  
  
Shani only shrugged. "Maybe they're more focused on looking for Bango. You know how parents get when their kids go missing. I'll bet you five spiders Bango's off playing with Kito somewhere, because we haven't seen him today either."  
  
"Kito's missing, too?"  
  
"Hakuna Matata. He and Bango are around here somewhere. This is a big place that's easy to lose a couple of immature boys in."  
  
"I guess you're right..."  
  
Shani stopped and stepped in front of Barika. She patted Barika's snout with a grin, "Don't _guess_ I'm right, Barika. _Agree_ that I'm right."  
  
Barika rolled her eyes slightly with a grimace. "Whatever you say, Shani." She looked ahead. "Hey, there's your Grandma Panya."  
  
Shani looked and saw Ma walk over to them. "What are you two doing all alone?" Ma asked, tapping her foot.  
  
"It's not our fault, Grandma. Daddy told me to wait for him and Uncle Pumbaa by the nest, and I've been waiting ever since I woke up," Shani helplessly shrugged. "You miss breakfast and at lunchtime, you usually get hungry, you know?"  
  
Ma knelt down, licked a paw, and smoothed her granddaughter's hair. "We had a bit of an emergency and your mother didn't take it too well. I guess she forgot about you."  
  
Shani tried to duck out from under Ma's paw. "Grandma, I don't need grooming."  
  
"I don't know, Shani. You _did_ sleep in a tree this morning," Barika grinned. The grin quickly cleared up when Shani shot her a lot.  
  
"Humor me, sweetie. It'll keep me occupied while your father's gone," Ma said as she finished.  
  
Shani glowered at her smoothed out hair, and then she shook her head to puff it up normally. "Daddy's gone?"  
  
Ma covered her mouth. "Whoops. I shouldn't have said that. I don't want you to worry."  
  
"Worry about what? Something happen to Bango?" Barika gulped.  
  
"I'm telling you, Barika," Shani said impatiently, "Bango and Kito are fine! They're in the oasis somewhere! We just don't know where."  
  
Ma grimaced. "I've been holding a lot of information lately, but this is important. Shani, Barika, your fathers believe your brothers have been kidnapped."  
  
"_**Kidnapped?!**_" Barika gasped.  
  
"_Kidnapped?_" Shani blinked. "Where would they get an idea like_ that?_"  
  
"There were pup-size claw marks in the dirt, like struggle marks. And Pumbaa and Jina looked all over the oasis at least three times today and they never found them."  
  
_Claw marks?_ Shani was sure she saw Kito and Bango run straight into the desert. _Why would they come back, for a midnight snack?_ She suddenly remembered she was midnight snacking last night, and she kicked up a lot of dirt chasing after some speedy bugs. _Those claw marks they found must've been the ones I made last night.  
_  
"... So your fathers left to find the kidnappers and bring the boys back," Ma finished.  
  
"Bango..." Barika lowered her eyes.  
  
"Panya, I thought we wanted to keep this from the girls," Zuri said as she and Jina walked over.  
  
"I'm sorry, Zuri, but I've been on an honesty streak since yesterday," Ma shrugged.  
  
Jina walked over to Barika and gave her a loving nudge. "Don't worry, Barika. Daddy will find Bango."  
  
"And Timon promised they'll be back soon... even if I have to find them and drag their tails back here myself," Zuri said, putting a paw on her hip.  
  
"Are you _sure_ they were kidnapped, Mom?" Shani asked, rubbing her paws together nervously.  
  
"Those marks in the dirt were made by a pup, and your Uncle Sudi said his pups were in his nest all night." Zuri then thought of something. "That reminds me, why weren't you in the nest this morning?"  
  
"I sleep-walked during the night," Shani said, putting her paws behind her back and crossing her fingers. "And I fell asleep in a tree."  
  
"Then you didn't hear anything out of the ordinary? No kidnappers or anything?" Jina asked.  
  
"No, no kidnappers..." She gulped. She didn't want to get into trouble, but she didn't want them to think Kito and Bango were in severe danger either. She tried to think of something to say without blurting too much. "But you know how weird Kito gets when he's had a lot of sugar? He comes up with these _crazy_ ideas."  
  
"Why are you going off-topic, Shani?" Barika asked, blinking.  
  
"Is there something you're not telling us?" Jina asked, arching an eyebrow.  
  
"_May-be..._" Shani squeaked.  
  
"_Shani..._" Zuri put her paws on her hips. "I want the truth. You know where your brother and cousin are?"  
  
"Well--"  
  
"It's not right to lie to your mother, dear," Ma interrupted.  
  
"But is it OK to break a promise to your brother?" Shani returned.  
  
"Well, it's wrong to tell your brother that you'll lie."  
  
"But it was a promise, brother to sister."  
  
Zuri sighed, knelt down to her daughter, and put her paws on her shoulders. "Sweetie, I understand what you mean because I have a brother, but whatever I would promise him, if he was in danger, that would matter more to me than the promise." Shani looked away from her, to which Zuri put a paw under her chin to turn her face back to her. "You know what happened to Kito and Bango, don't you?"  
  
Shani lowered her eyes and nodded.  
  
"Then tell us."  
  
_To be continued..._


	14. Seeking Rafiki

Congratulate me, this is the most chapters I've put in a story on this site! Although there aren't as many words as past works, but there are more chapters on the way! Anyway, I'm sad to say I haven't worked on my works too much this week 'cause I rented _Paper Mario 2._ Not sure how much further I can play it... the first time I played the first _Paper Mario_ it took me like twenty tries to get through the final bosses... I expect the same effect to befall me this time around. So I think I'll take a break and work, which will make most of you happy. Yay! 

Chapter 14:

The sun had finally begun to set over the Pride Lands. Morake bounded ahead of the meerkat and warthog, looking up trees and glancing back at the two.

"Come on, guys! We're almost there!" Morake said, swishing his tail from side to side.

Kito, who had yet caught up on his sleep, was draped over Bango's snout with his eyes shut. He opened one and turned it towards the excited cheetah. "That's what you said an hour ago."

"But this time I _really_ mean it!"

"You said _that_ an hour ago, too," Bango mumbled as he sat by a large tree.

"Face it, you're lost, aren't you?" Kito asked as he forced himself to sit up on Bango's snout. "It feels like we've been going around in circles."

Morake walked back over to them and sat down with a pout. "Am not and are not. It just takes a while to get there." He raised an eyebrow at Kito yawning. "And maybe it _seems_ like a long time because you haven't gotten any sleep today."

"We started when the sun was well over Pride Rock. And now look where it is," Kito pointed to the setting sun.

"And we didn't want for the tour, either," Bango said as he tilted his head, forcing Kito off his snout and onto his own two feet.

"I know, but as long as the trip to the tree takes this long... might as well enjoy the sights," Morake grinned.

"Morake, listen to me _very_ carefully," Kito said as he pulled Morake down to his level. "Right now, the only sights I want to see are the inside of my eyelids. I want to find Rafiki and I want him to tell us whether or not my uncle still exists as a physical form and not grass. So spare us the tour and _find** that tree!**_"

Morake winced at the last three words that were shouted directly into his face. He then rubbed his ears. "Bango, is Kito this crabby when he's fully rested?"

"No, but you should see him on a sugar rush," Bango said, unaware that they were being watched. "He can be dangerous."

"Let's just look for Rafiki tomorrow. I'm bushed," Kito said as he leaned against the tree and slid down to the ground.

Bango yawned, "Doesn't sound like a bad idea. Where's a good place to sleep around here, Morake?"

"Well--"

"No, I am not going another step. I'm staying right here," Kito mumbled as he closed his eyes.

"Out in the open? At _night?_" Morake blinked.

"Fortune favors the brave, you know," Kito mumbled as he lay down and closed his eyes.

"Brave or _foolish?_"

Kito ignored that. He almost fell asleep there until he felt a light whack on his head. "Ow! I didn't ask for a lump on the head!" Kito growled as he sat up and rubbed his head.

"Yes, well, you did not ask if you could sleep under Rafiki's tree either," the old baboon Rafiki said as he finished climbing down the tree with his staff in hand.

"This is Rafiki's tree?" Bango asked, blinking.

"_Told_ ya I knew the way," Morake said with a sharp, toothy grin.

"So who's this guy?" Kito asked, still rubbing his head. "Rafiki's grandfather?"

"Treat your elders with respect, young pup! Do you seek Rafiki's help, or are you just freeloading on his property?" Rafiki asked waving his staff at Kito.

"We're seeking, we're seeking! Just get that thing out of my face." Kito shoved the staff away and stood, stretching.

"So where is Mr. Rafiki, sir?" Bango asked as Rafiki leaned his weight on his staff.

"Open your eyes, boy. Rafiki stands right before your very eyes," Rafiki humbly bowed.

The three younger animals looked at Rafiki, and then to the left and right of Rafiki. "_Where?_" they asked.

Rafiki dragged a hand over his face. "You've never seen him before?" They shook their heads. "Hmm. Perhaps I should stop referring to myself in the third person when talking to children, yes?" he asked himself. He spoke up to the meerkat, warthog, and cheetah. "_I _am Rafiki!"

"I should've known from the blue face," Kito mumbled to himself.

"What was that?" Rafiki asked, bending down to look at Kito better.

"You'll have to forgive him, Mr. Rafiki, sir. He hasn't slept since we left home last night," Bango spoke up.

"Even so, I do not abide bad manners. So, what is it you are seeking, children?"

"_They're_ seeking. I was just showing the way," Morake said as he took a step away from Kito and Bango.

"Showing them how to walk in circles twenty times?" Rafiki asked as he leaned against his staff. "And do not deny this. I've been watching you go around and around this area about that many times this day."

"So we _were_ going around in circles," Kito sneered at Morake, who nervously grinned. "We'll get back to you later, Morake." He turned back to Rafiki. "Anyway, Mr. Rafiki, my cousin and I ask that you--"

"You wish for me to find out if your uncle is still among the living, yes?" Rafiki smiled.

"How--How did you know?" Bango asked with his mouth hanging open.

"I am Rafiki; I know all. Plus, I overheard your little meerkat friend yell it to your cheetah friend." Rafiki cleared his throat and stood up straight. "First, join me in my tree, as I will gather the ingredients to discovering the whereabouts of your uncle."

_Shortly..._

Rafiki finished carrying Morake up into his tree and set him down. "Everyone here? Good, because Rafiki is not carrying anyone anymore tonight. And do not touch anything." Rafiki picked up a coconut shell and broke it in half. He tossed the coconut milk over his shoulder and took a gourd filled with water and filled the coconut shell with it. He then put it on the ground as he went around his tree collecting ingredients hanging off his tree. "Now, then, meerkat pup, I will need to know your uncle's name."

"His name is Titus," Kito said, yawning.

"Is he on your father's side of the family, or your mother's side?"

"Huh?"

Rafiki rolled his eyes a moment. "Is he your father's brother or your mother's brother?"

"Father's."

"Why do you believe he is still alive?"

"My grandma told my dad about him, and that they never found him. Disappeared isn't the same as dead."

Rafiki dropped a few ingredients into the coconut shell and stroked his beard, "As yes, this I know. Reminds old Rafiki of King Simba when he disappeared as a cub, said to be dead. And then Rafiki found him in a faraway oasis, being cared for by a meerkat and warthog."

"Yeah, the meerkat and warthog you're talking about are our dads. And you brought them together and made them friends," Bango spoke up.

Rafiki blinked, and took a good look at the meerkat and warthog. "You are Timon and Pumbaa's boys?" Kito and Bango nodded. "Hmm. Rafiki thought you reminded him of someone he knows. So, this Uncle Titus is Timon's brother, eh?"

"Yup."

"Interesting. Now, back to questions. What did your grandmother say happened to your uncle?"

"Said he wondered off when he was a few weeks old. That was, like, six years ago," Kito said. "The grown-ups were just going to accept that he's gone, but I wasn't."

"That's why he dragged me along and went in search of you to tell us for sure, and then we can go look for him, or go back home," Bango said.

"Without your _parents_ knowing?" Rafiki raised an eyebrow as he pulled a leaf from a branch.

"He thought of this plan while he was on a sugar rush."

"Well, they would try and stop us if we told them," Kito growled at Bango.

"Ahh, I see," Rafiki nodded. He then looked over at Morake. "May I borrow your claws for a moment?"

"Will I get them back?" Morake timidly asked as he put one paw over the other.

Rafiki chuckled, "I said _borrow,_ did I not?" He reached over and forced a claw out of Morake's paw. "It is not a complete match, but some trace of your uncle's blood is better than none."

"What do you mean?" Kito asked, closing his eyes and waving a paw over his mouth as he yawned. He then felt a brief piercing pain in his left arm as Rafiki used Morake's claw to make a small cut on Kito's arm. "_Ow!_" Rafiki released Morake's paw, carefully took the leaf in his hand and squeezed a bit of blood from Kito's cut onto the leaf. "What was _that_ for?"

"Need blood sample. Your father and uncle share the same blood, and in turn you inherit half of that blood from your father. It's needed for this spell."

"Well, next time, could you _inform_ me before you draw blood?" Kito asked as he rubbed his arm.

"Oh, it only hurt for a moment. Do not be a big baby," Rafiki said as he dropped the leaf and blood into the coconut shell. "Now... I am going to begin the spell. It requires _complete_ silence from every occupant here but myself. Do not touch anything or say anything. Understand?"

The three younger animals nodded.

Rafiki nodded to them. He took a spoon-like stick and stirred the water mix in the coconut shell around rapidly. Kito, Bango, and Morake were amazed at how fast he could mix and yet not spill a thing. He set the coconut down and then gathered two gourds, and broke them in half. He set some dry herbs and flowers in them. With a wave of his paw over all four halves, smoke arose, followed by flames. Kito, Bango, and Morake gasped at that. He sat the four burning gourds around him, one north, one south, one east, and one west. He sat in the center of the circle of burning gourds, facing west with the coconut in front of him. He relaxed into a meditative state. When he was in a hypnotic state, he took his middle and index fingers of his right hand and swirled it around in the coconut shell mixture clockwise.

_"Let the water reveal to me the location of Titus. Let the water show me where he is,"_ Rafiki spoke. He spoke this four times as he swirled the water clockwise four times. The water continued to stir as Rafiki lifted his hand from the bowl and opened his eyes. He then stared into the swirling water. "Ahh... Rafiki is starting to see an image form in the water."

Kito and Bango came closer and peered into the coconut shell as the water began to settle.

"I see... a dry land, many tall insect mounds, little water on the surface... and a colony of meerkats living there by choice, unlike the past residents. Yes... the location of Titus is--" Rafiki paused when a familiar low, bellowing, monstrous roar was heard inside the tree, breaking his concentration, thus the image in the water disappeared. The roar died just as quickly. "Did I not tell you children I needed **_complete_** silence to do this spell?" Rafiki asked with a furrowed brow.

"It wasn't us, Mr. Rafiki," Bango whimpered with his head covered by his hooves.

"Yeah, cheetahs don't roar," Morake said. He tried to demonstrate, but only managed to let out a chirp. He blushed. "So embarrassing."

"It's that weird roar we heard earlier," Kito said.

"It was louder this time. It's hiding in this tree! **_I want my mommy!_**" Bango whined.

"Yes, so it was," Rafiki said as he lifted the coconut shell up and looked into it. "Hmm... not to worry, young warthog. The roar came from the image in the water." He stroke his beard. "So that mysterious roar comes from the Outlands."

"The Outlands?" Morake asked.

"Yes, the Outlands. The very same Outlands Simba banished the loyal followers of Scar to. But since the defeat of Zira and the union of Princess Kiara and Kovu, the Outlands have been cleared of the lions." He looked to Kito and Bango. "And what I have seen in the water, a colony of meerkats reside there. With all the termite mounds there, it is a dry paradise for them."

"So, what, the water showed you an image of the Outlands? With _meerkats?_ Then that means--" Kito began.

"Yes. Titus is alive, and he lives with a colony of meerkats in the Outlands."

Kito smiled and pulled Bango's hooves from the top of his head and hopped around in a circle with him. "I knew it, Bango, I just _knew it!_ Uncle Titus is _**alive!**_ Now we just have to find him!"

"Crud. I was hoping to go home and avoid the biggest grounding of my shortly lived life," Bango frowned.

"I would suggest you should return home, actually," Rafiki said as he poured water into the burning gourds.

"_What?_ Why?" Kito asked.

"According to the image that mysterious roar we hear every day comes from the Outlands. It is not of any animal I have ever heard. If you favor your lives I would suggest you forget about your uncle for now and return home to your parents."

"_I_ favor my life!" Bango said, raising his front hoof up into the air.

Kito sighed and lowered his eyes. "All right, Mr. Rafiki. We'll go."

"_We will?_" Bango asked, blinking.

"_You will?_" Morake asked, blinking.

The two watched as Kito walked to the edge of the tree, grabbed a vine, and started to climb down the tree. Bango and Morake looked at each other, and then went to follow him.

"Oh, and thank you, Mr. Rafiki," Bango said as he took the vine into his mouth and started climbing down.

"Yes, yes. Do say hello to your fathers for me," Rafiki waved as Morake took the vine into his mouth and followed.

Bango and Morake followed Kito as they walked away from the tree. "So you're _really_ going home?" Morake asked.

"Of course not. That was just to throw Rafiki off so he wouldn't tell Uncle Simba, who in turn would tell our dads what we were doing," Kito said with a furrowed brow as he rubbed his arm.

"Should've known," Bango mumbled with a roll of his eyes. He then gulped. "You mean we're going to the _Outlands_ to find Uncle Titus? What about your promise?"

Kito stopped and looked back at Bango. "_My_ promise was we'd return to the oasis if we _couldn't_ find Rafiki's tree in one and a half days, **_or_** if Rafiki told us Uncle Titus is dead. We _found_ the tree, and we _know_ Uncle Titus is alive."

"B-B-But what about that c-c-c-creature with the roar?"

"For all we know it could be a _really loud swarm of cicadas!_ Even if it's not, I'm going to find my uncle for my father and grandmother and make them happy again! Fortune doesn't favor cowards, so if _**you**_ want to run home to Daddy and Mommy with your tail between your legs, then be my guest! But _**I'm**_ staying here until I find Titus!" With that, Kito turned back around and stomped ahead.

Morake watched after him, and then he looked to Bango. "So what are you going to do?"

"He's trying to work another guilt trip on me. I just _know_ it," Bango grumbled. "I'm not falling for it this time."

"Still, he shouldn't be out here all by himself. And he has that open cut. Predators can smell blood pretty easily around here."

Bango looked at Morake with a slightly confused look on his face. "You mean _you_ aren't going with him?"

"You only needed me to find Rafiki's tree, right? He didn't ask me to show him the way to the Outlands." Morake lowered his eyes a bit. "Maybe it's because I lead you around in circles."

"Why _did_ you? Did you not know which tree was Rafiki's for sure?"

The cheetah shook his head. "No, I knew which tree it was. It's just..." He sighed. "Since Mom died I've been lost, lonely, and all alone. No one would play with me because of what my species is known to do and eat. When you guys stuck by me, taught me how to hunt bugs, I was having so much fun, and I didn't want it to end. So I wanted to spend more time with you, that's why I lead you in circles. Otherwise, would you _really_ want to have a meat-eater as a friend?"

"Well, my dad and Kito's dad befriended a lion and taught him how to eat on just bugs. So, why not?"

Morake blinked. "_Really?_" He then swished his tail from side to side. "So... you wouldn't mind if...?"

Bango looked up towards Kito and sighed with a smile. "Well, he _is_ my cousin... and if I went home without him, I'd get grounded forever." He started to trot after Kito, and then he turned back to Morake. "Are you coming with?" Morake smiled and ran after him.

_To be continued..._


	15. The Perfect Father

Whoo-hoo, new and newer reviewers! Haven't had some of those in a while! I have a few things to say.  
  
_TookBaggins:_ Not terribly much to say to you, but... Yay, I haven't seen you review since _Someone Like You!_ Best of luck on your works, hun.  
  
_I Be Guest:_ Haven't seen you for a while either. Yay! I'm not totally sure how to pronounce Morake's name. To be honest, I was having the hardest time trying to find a good name for him that didn't sound like a girl's name or didn't sound like gibberish. It almost used to be Chase. _Ech..._ So I eventually just used Lebo M.'s last name, which is Morake. I'm assuming it's pronounced Moh-rah-kay. And you'll just have to wait to see if the lions show up. I know, I'm mean that way. I love it.  
  
And lastly... _Son of Fearless Buzz_ has finally reached its 100th review! Thanks to Kiara32 for putting the reviews in the three digits! OK, now to work...  
  
Chapter 15:  
  
When the sun completely set, dark clouds rolled in. The low rumble of thunder signaled that lightning was not far off. Rain began to pour down hard. Timon was perched high on top of Pumbaa's head, using what little light he had to see the open spaces of the Pride Lands. He shielded the rain from his eyes with his paw, but he still squinted from the sudden intense gust of wind. He held onto Pumbaa's ear to keep himself from falling off.  
  
"**Timon, we need to find shelter!**" Pumbaa shouted to be heard by Timon through the wind.  
  
"**Not until we find Kito and Bango!**" Timon shouted back.  
  
"**But we won't get anywhere in this storm! All the animals out here have already taken shelter! I'm sure the kidnappers have, too!**"  
  
"**Yeah, and all the good shelters are probably taken!**" Timon growled. He yelped and ducked down when lightning struck a tree nearby. He grabbed onto Pumbaa's mane as the warthog ran blindly forward with the direction of the wind, hoping a good place to hide from the storm was in sight. Timon then suddenly pulled on Pumbaa's ears, forcing the warthog to stop. "**Stop!**"  
  
"**Why?**" Pumbaa asked, looking up at him.  
  
Timon didn't reply right away. He had his eyes closed and his brow furrowed. The wind had suddenly changed direction, but that did not change the ferocity as it continued to whip against the meerkat and warthog. After a minute, Timon opened his eyes. "I could've sworn I heard something." He regained his grip on Pumbaa's ears. "**Come on, the wind's going this way now!**"  
  
Pumbaa nodded, turned in the direction the wind was blowing, and ran along with it. With the wind at their backs it was easier to run in the storm. They eventually arrived at a familiar spot, to which they both were surprised to see. The wind changed direction again.  
  
"**Hey, wasn't our home by the watering hole destroyed during that big musical number?**" Pumbaa asked.  
  
"**Some elephants might've rebuilt it. Who cares? It's shelter! Come on!**"  
  
Pumbaa ran around the edge of the watering hole and squeezed into the small cave. Pumbaa panted and shook himself dry as Timon jumped off. Timon, dripping wet, only walked to the mouth of the cave, staring out into the storm. Pumbaa was busy glancing around the familiar place. "Hey, our old beds are even here! It's like we never left!" He knelt closer to the nests and inspected them. "OK, maybe they've aged a _little..._" He looked over to Timon, and then decided to try to make him feel better. "They're all right, Timon. I know it."  
  
"You can't _know_ it, Pumbaa. We don't even know who kidnapped them, or _why._ Our boys are out there, cold, hungry, and scared." Timon leaned against the wall of the mouth, still looking outwards. "Be honest, Pumbaa. Have I changed?"  
  
"What do you mean, changed?"  
  
"Since I met Zuri and had the pups. Have I changed?"  
  
Pumbaa pouted his lips out, thinking. "Well, you've had to lessen your Hakuna Matata lifestyle, but no, I don't think you've changed."  
  
"I thought so... I'm still a screw-up. I let my son get kidnapped."  
  
Pumbaa gulped, "No, I didn't mean it like--!"  
  
"Why couldn't I have been the perfect father? Then we wouldn't be here looking for our sons. They'd be home with us right now."  
  
"Timon, there's no such thing as the perfect father," Pumbaa said, shaking his head.  
  
"Yes, there is. You."  
  
Pumbaa blinked. "_Me?_"  
  
"Yes. For one thing, you were raised knowing how to keep your kids happy and behaved. Granted, that's a strange thing for a male warthog who came from a long line of bachelors. Your mother was odd in teaching her son to be raised that way. No offense."  
  
"None taken."  
  
"And for another, your tongue doesn't dry up, so you can easily tell your kids that you luh--ly--" Timon grunted loudly at his difficulty to say love again.  
  
"Love them?" Pumbaa asked as Timon leaned forward out of the cave with his mouth opened.  
  
Timon swallowed some rain and ducked back in, clearing his throat. "Yeah. And you never have to go around the oasis looking for them, like Zuri and I do."  
  
"And because of all that, you think _I'm_ the perfect father?" Pumbaa asked, arching a brow.  
  
"Of course."  
  
"So explain to me, Timon, why the _'perfect'_ father is away from home in a raging storm?" Timon went to open his mouth, but then he instantly saw what Pumbaa was getting at. "And you said so yourself, the perfect father wouldn't be out here looking because his kids would be safe at home." Pumbaa grinned at Timon's stunned silence. "No such thing as the perfect father."  
  
"You're better than me, then. You knew first thing that Bango was missing. I didn't know Kito was gone until you mentioned you couldn't find either of them. I should've known my son was going to be kidnapped," Timon said.  
  
"... You're right, Timon. You _should_ have," Pumbaa said dryly. Timon blinked, thinking Pumbaa was serious. "If you learned to sleep with your eyes wide open, then Kito would be safe at home right now."  
  
"Hey, now," Timon growled as he looked back at Pumbaa. "_No one_ can sleep with their eyes wide open! And how was I suppose to know a kidnapper was going to come into a hidden oasis in the dead... of..." Timon slowed his speech down when he realized what he was saying.  
  
Pumbaa grinned again as he walked over to Timon and sat down next to him, looking out into the storm. "See? You couldn't have known this was going to happen, so stop blaming yourself, saying you could've done something to prevent this. No one could've known it was going to happen. Not even Kito or Bango. You're already a good father. If you weren't, you wouldn't have left home to find Kito and make sure he's safe."  
  
"I guess you're right... for once."  
  
Pumbaa arched an eyebrow again as he looked down at the meerkat. "For _once?_"  
  
Timon glanced up at him. "Don't push it." A rumble of thunder brought their attention back to the storm outside, showing no sign of letting up. Timon sighed, "As much as I hate to say it, I don't think we'll be going anywhere tonight in this weather."  
  
Pumbaa exhaled as Timon turned back into the cave. "You should stop worry so much. You'll make yourself sick."  
  
Timon was about to climb into the bigger nest, but stopped and blinked. "_Sick?_ You can't get sick by worrying! You get sick by--by--ah--ah--ah-_choo!_"  
  
"Getting wet?" Pumbaa asked as he arched an eyebrow again.  
  
Timon sniffled and rubbed his nose. "One of many ways, yes." He finally shook the water out of his fur.  
  
Pumbaa shook his head and climbed into the larger nest. He then rolled onto his back. "I guess we'd better turn in." He noticed Timon looking back out towards the storm. "We'll find them, Timon. I know it."  
  
"I hope you're right," Timon said as he climbed up onto Pumbaa's stomach. He laid on his back and looked up at the ceiling.  
  
"Good night."  
  
"Sleep tight."  
  
"Dream of bed bugs tonight." As usual, Pumbaa instantly fell asleep and began to snore.  
  
Timon grinned and rested his paws behind his head. He turned his head back out to the storm as thunder was once again heard. _Strange weather, the way the wind kept changing directions while we were out there._ He exhaled, "Good night, Kito." He then closed his eyes and continued to listen to the rumble of thunder and whistling wind as he tried to allow sleep to take over.  
  
_To be continued..._


	16. Overtired

Man, I'm having _so_ much trouble deciding on what I should really call this fic! I'm starting to think I should've stayed with _"With the Wind"_ because the wind is gonna play a part in this fic. Then again the current story title _"Out of the Blue"_ plays a part in the old relationship that I'm sure most of you who have read my past work can see coming. Or maybe there's a story title I haven't thought of yet that you out there can suggest as a good title... but let me start in saying no _"Finding Titus."_ These are meerkats and warthogs, people, not fish.  
  
So the voting booth is open! No need to register and there is no age limit! No charge either; all you have to do is review and tell me what you think and/or tell me a different story title. Hope to hear from you!  
  
Chapter 16:  
  
It wasn't a good night for Kito. Even if it wasn't storming outside with whipping winds and continuous thunder, he couldn't sleep. It wasn't Bango's snoring. His snoring was drowned out more by the thunder. It wasn't Morake purring in his sleep. No, the purring was actually very soothing. It was two reasons: he was overtired and he was excited. He knew Titus was alive and he was that much closer to making his father happy again. He never thought he'd ever be overtired either. He kept tossing and turning around in the burrow Morake had found for them, unable to get comfortable.  
  
_Look at those two,_ Kito thought as he looked at the two peacefully sleeping animals. Bango was on his back, and Morake was curled up next to the warthog, letting out some purring snores. _They could sleep if a storm broke out inside this little space._ The pup sat up and rubbed his bloodshot eyes. He looked up to the surface, where he saw rain dripping in. _I know it's not exactly oasis-safe out there, but I can't exactly tire myself in here... and that's what you do when you're overtired, right? Tire yourself?  
_  
Kito stood and walked out into the open. He lowered his head down and braced himself as the wind blew hard against him and rain pelted his fur. He slowly took a few steps forward, already starting to wear down. The wind persisted, almost lifting the pup off the ground. Kito held his arm up to shield some of the wind and rain from his face as he kept moving forward. He stopped in dead in his tracks when lightning flashed and he saw a tall dark figure right in front of him. It was such a quick flash he wasn't sure what it was... only that it was staring straight at him and that he heard it growl. Kito, nearly scared stiff, began to back away as he saw the dark figure begin to move forward. Suddenly lightning struck right behind the dark figure, startling it. The animal yelped as Kito screamed from the sudden attack of nature.  
  
The wind changed direction with the lightning strike, nearly knocking Kito off his feet. No way with the force of the wind he could he return to the borrow without realizing his part in the food chain, so he ran in the direction of the wind while the animal was recovering from the shock. The animal shook its head to clear it, and then noticed the meerkat pup running away. Not about to let that runt of a snack get away, it ran after him. Kito was fast on his feet, especially with the wind at his back.  
  
_Don't look back, just keep running... Gotta stay alive, to find Uncle Titus...  
_  
Kito screeched to a halt when he came to a river. The water seemed too rough to swim across. He panted, panicking. Lightning struck nearby, flashing light in the area. With that bit of light Kito could see a log laid over the river, leading to the other side. He wasted no time in running over to the log and across the river, as he heard footsteps running towards him. He sped his pace as he heard a growl creeping up behind him. He actually heard snapping teeth directly behind him, and he screamed and tripped, falling face first onto the ground.  
  
The animal stopped and panted, catching his breath. He put a paw over his catch, so he wouldn't get away. Kito panted and shook. He tried to squeeze out from under the paw, but it was no use. It was too heavy. He heard the animal swallow and his panting ceased. Kito shivered as he felt the animal's hot breath on the back of his neck. The animal sniffed the pup, enjoying the scent to his next meal.  
  
"It's amazing how the smell of _blood_ can heighten a predator's hunger," the male animal growled, gesturing to the small cut on Kito's arm.  
  
_Rafiki _had_ to get a blood sample, didn't he?_ Kito thought to himself.  
  
"Welcome... to the food chain."  
  
Kito braced himself as he heard the jaws of the animal widen. _I'm sorry, Dad...  
_  
Suddenly an ear-splitting roar was heard. The animal reared back, lifting his paw up and off Kito. Kito covered his ears as the roar sounded off. The animal backed away and looked up. Lightning struck, and the animal could see the silhouette of a tall creature with its front legs up in the air, set to strike. The animal yelped, turned, and ran away.  
  
Kito began to stand to run, but his head suddenly started spinning. He couldn't see straight. He put a paw to his forehead, as if that would help steady himself. It didn't. Everything continued to dance in front of him. He thought he could make out a figure coming towards him, but he couldn't be sure because that's when he collapsed to the ground and the world suddenly went black.  
  
_To be continued..._

Short chapter, I know. I'm mean that way.


	17. Safe

Hey, I'm on a roll! Yay!

Vote count thus far: _With the Wind_ - 2 _Out of the Blue_ - 0  
  
So far it looks like the story will be re-titled once again. Keep voting, people! And to I Be Guest, the hyena from a few stories back was named Mataka, not Ajuki. Never heard of that name before, really. And whether it was him or not... well, keep reading and you may find out eventually. But the question of who saved Kito is in this chapter... although I will say it wasn't that creature that scared the animal off. You'll have to keep reading to find that out, too. I'm mean that way. ::grin:: I love it.  
  
Chapter 17:  
  
Yasmin paced inside the cave, looking out into the storm. She stopped once in a while to tap her fingers on her arms. She sighed loudly and walked over to an older meerkat with gray head fur. "Sengbe, I'm starting to worry."  
  
"You have enough to worry about with your father's health. Don't add to it by worrying about Sylvester," the older meerkat said.  
  
"He shouldn't be out there in this weather, no matter _how_ hungry he gets. And we heard the _Nunda_. We never hear the _Nunda_ in this kind of storm."  
  
Sengbe looked out towards the exit, hearing the thunder crash. "He's fine, Yasmin."  
  
"How do you know he's fine?"  
  
Sengbe grinned, "He's my son. He knows how to take care of himself." He exhaled as he looked towards the exit again. "Even in this weather." His brows rose when he noticed a figure running into the cave. "Speak of the devil."  
  
Yasmin turned towards the exit. "Sly! You're--" She stopped herself when she noticed Sly ran into the cave dripping wet and carrying something in his arms. He dropped to his knees and panted deeply. He pushed his free paw to the ground to keep him from falling over. Yasmin and a few other meerkats ran over to him. "Sly!"  
  
"Are you all right?" a meerkat asked.  
  
Sly nodded. "It's no--It's not a good night to--to be running around in a storm," Sly said nearly breathlessly with a grin. The meerkats who went to him smiled and chuckled a bit. "Really windy." Sly swallowed and panted a little less as he revealed what he was carrying. "Especially for a pup." Kito laid in his arms, seemingly asleep.  
  
"That's not one of ours," a meerkat said.  
  
"That poor thing! What was he doing out there?" Yasmin asked as she took Kito from Sly's arms.  
  
"He was chased by an animal, a hyena I think. He was lucky he was stopped where he was," Sly said as he was given a leaf to dry himself off with.  
  
Sengbe approached Sly. "The _Nunda?_"  
  
Sly nodded, "It scared the animal off." He took Sengbe's offered paw and stood with his assistance. "The pup collapsed right after that, from the shock, I guess."  
  
Yasmin set Kito into a vacant nest. "From the look of the rings under his eyes I'd say he hadn't had much sleep either." She brushed the pup's hair back a bit. "Poor little thing."  
  
"You shouldn't have brought him here, Sylvester," Sengbe said as he turned to walk away.  
  
Sly cringed at the sound of his full name and walked after him. "What was I _suppose_ to do, leave him out there to die? He's just a _pup,_ for crying out loud! He's barely four months old!"  
  
"He's too young to be a rogue, so his parents must be out there wondering where he is."  
  
Sly turned the older meerkat around and growled, "If they're still _alive!_ Otherwise, why would a hyena be after a meerkat pup?"  
  
"A midnight snack."  
  
"Look, I'm not saying I want to keep him, Pop. I just couldn't leave him out there. He's had a near-death experience. At least let him stay here until he gets his strength back."  
  
Sengbe exhaled through his nose. "Until he can tell us himself." He then turned around and walked away.  
  
Sly exhaled through his nose. "Sylvester... _ech._" He then walked back over towards Yasmin. "So? Any injuries you can see?"  
  
Yasmin looked back at him and then to Kito. "Aside from the cut on his arm, I don't see anything seriously wrong with him outwardly. I just want to know why a pup would be outside in the _worst_ storm of the season."  
  
"Probably the same reason I went out... he probably got hungry."  
  
"So, Sly," Yasmin grinned as she leaned her weight against Sly, "when he comes to, do you want to see if he wants to play 'Tunnel?' You can be the daddy, I'll be the mommy--"

Sly rolled his eyes. "Yasmin, how can you _think_ about that at a time like this? He was out there alone. He may have lost his parents to that hyena or whatever that creep was. Lightning wasn't exactly on our side." He lifted Kito's arm with the cut, showing it to her. "Anyway, that's probably where he got this cut. Playing Tunnel with us as his parents would be the last thing he'd wanna play."  
  
Yasmin straightened herself up. "Just trying to lighten the mood a little, that's all." She sighed softly. "You know I need it."  
  
Sly's expression softened a bit and he put a paw on her shoulder. "You're right. I'm sorry. It's been a rough night and somehow--"  
  
A soft groan from the pup in the nest caught their attention. They turned to him as he opened his eyes. "Bango? Morake?" Kito began to sit, but then he winced and put a paw to his forehead as he laid back down.  
  
"_Shh..._ easy, sweetie. You're safe now. The _Nunda_ can't get you in here," Yasmin said as she brushed some of his damp hair back. "I'll get you some leaves so you don't freeze." She walked away.

"The _Nunda?_"

"The creature that scared your predator away. It means 'Beast of Prey.' Don't worry, you're safe here," Sly said.  
  
"I don't wanna be safe. I gotta find--" Kito began to sit up again, but was pushed down by Sly.  
  
"You're not going anywhere tonight, pup, not after that scare you had. Get some sleep. We'll talk tomorrow."  
  
Yasmin came back with some leaves and laid them over Kito as a blanket. Kito, too tired and weak to fight back, settled back down to sleep. Yasmin turned back to Sly and grinned, "Hope you don't that I put him in your nest, Sly."  
  
"Nah. He needs it more than I do," Sly shrugged.  
  
"So, uh... wanna stay with me tonight?"  
  
"I'll, uh, have to pass, thanks. Besides, I'm not that tired yet." Sly politely smiled as he turned and walked away.  
  
Yasmin frowned as she watched him leave. "Those old dreams of his..."  
  
_To be continued..._  
  
I know, I don't really like the name Sylvester, but it was listed as the full name of Sly. After all, just naming a kid Sly? I think it's better as a nickname.


	18. To the Outlands

Come _on,_ peoples! I need more than just three votes before I change the story title! Review, tell me your choice! Then we'll see if the story's still going to be called _Out of the Blue_ or if we're going back to the original title _With the Wind._

Chapter 18:

The gloomy night came to an end as the sun began to rise. Morake and Bango slept the entire night without realizing they were a meerkat short. Morake woke up first when the sun was up for about an hour. He stretched out and yawned, displaying his impressive fangs and claws. He then rotated his shoulders a bit, sat up, and smacked his lips.

"Why are days so long and nights so short?" he asked as Bango started to wake up.

"Probably because we have more fun during the day eating," Bango yawned and sat up. "Best sleep I've ever had." He looked around the burrow a bit, and blinked. "Where's Kito?"

"I dunno. I just woke up." Morake got up and walked out of the burrow, looking around. "Kito?" He sniffed the moist grass and ground, but found no trace of him. "I don't see _or_ smell him."

Bango came out of the burrow. "You didn't eat him in your sleep, did you? I'm only asking because I've come to realize there is such a thing as sleep eating."

Morake blinked, blew onto his paw, and sniffed it. He wrinkled his nose and said, "Nothing but morning breath." He dropped his paw on a bug that was about to scurry by, and then he scooped it up into his mouth and chewed.

"Hmm. Wonder where he is then?" Bango tapped a hoof on the ground for a moment. "You don't think...?"

Morake swallowed his catch and looked at Bango, as if reading his mind. "... That Kito went out to find Titus on his own? I don't know, because I haven't known him long enough to know what he thinks."

"I'm thinking he did." Bango sighed and rubbed his eyes with the back of his hoof. "_Great,_ now we have to find Kito before we can find Uncle Titus."

"He probably started in the Outlands. C'mon, I'll show you the way!" Morake started to march forward. He stopped when he realized Bango was still sitting. He walked back over. "What?"

"I don't know about this Outlands business... that roar we've been hearing comes from that way. Rafiki said so."

"Come on, Bango! He could be in real trouble. Fortune favors the brave, remember?"

"Don't you start saying that, too, Morake."

"Well, it's _true,_" Morake pouted. "I'll be with you the whole time. Let's go!"

Bango sighed, "All right, lead the way." Morake grinned and then ran forward with Bango right behind him. "Why does my cousin have to be so impatient?"

_Meanwhile..._

"Grubs...grubs..." Pumbaa mumbled in his sleep.

Timon was curled up on top of Pumbaa's stomach, making his own snores, which didn't include mumbled words. He smacked his lips and sat up, yawning and stretching. He scratched his lower back and slid down the side of Pumbaa's stomach. Still half asleep he walked outside of the cave and jumped into the water. A scream from Timon woke Pumbaa up.

"Timon!" Pumbaa got up and ran outside. He looked at Timon, who was shivering in the water. "What's wrong?"

"This... water... is... _**freezing!**_ It's like someone dumped an _iceberg_ in here!" Timon shivered as he climbed out of the water.

Pumbaa grimaced, "Is _that_ all? I thought some predator was about to eat you or something."

"No. I just forgot where we slept. Normally when I wake up in the oasis, I'd head for the hot tub." He shook the water out of his fur. "Well, now that I'm wide awake, shall we resume the search for our sons?"

"What about breakfast?"

Timon grimaced and pulled Pumbaa down to his level. "Pumbaa, how can you think about eating right now?"

"Easily. Thinking of how Kito and Bango might be hungry out there makes _me_ hungry."

"Well, you'll have to take a rain check on that, my bwana buddy. First we find the kids, and _then_ we eat."

"But you know how big the Pride Lands are... how are we suppose to know where to start?"

Timon climb onto Pumbaa's snout and sat down, looking at him right in the eyes. "It's simple. We start looking at all the dark and scary places where kidnappers would go to hide when they don't want to be found."

"You mean everywhere the light doesn't touch?" Pumbaa asked with a blink. "That's a lot of ground to cover."

"No, I wasn't thinking of everywhere the light doesn't touch. That would be the underground and the Elephant Graveyard."

"_Elephant Graveyard?!_" Pumbaa yelped, knelt down to the ground, and covered his eyes. "Not the Elephant Graveyard, Timon! There are _carnivores_ there!"

Timon lifted a hoof from Pumbaa's eye and lifted the eyelid up. "In case you've forgotten, Pumbaa, there are carnivores _everywhere._ Our best friends include lions which, I remind you, are members of the food chain that eat meat, AKA carnivores." He released Pumbaa's eyelid, which snapped back into place.

"Ouch!" Pumbaa rubbed that eye.

"Anyway, I wasn't going to suggest the graveyard first. Even _I_ have my limits."

"You weren't?"

"No. Look, you're hungry, right?" Pumbaa nodded. "And we want to start looking in scary places, right?" Pumbaa shook his head. "Right. So, why don't we start in the Outlands, the Termite Capital? You'll get to eat _and_ look for the kids. Kills two birds with one stone."

"Gee, Timon, I don't wanna kill any birds."

"It's a figure of speech," Timon said dryly. He leaned his weight on one of Pumbaa's tusks and mumbled to himself, "And I thought _I_ was the one who took things literally." He spoke up to Pumbaa, "Whaddya say?"

Pumbaa listened to his grumbling stomach and pouted his lips, thinking. "Well, I guess we could start there, as long as you're sure we can get breakfast there."

"Pumbaa, there are termite mounds all over the place. Unless the termites moved to a wetter environment, it's a pretty safe bet they're still there." Timon walked along Pumbaa's snout to his back and took hold of his ears. "So giddy-up." A moment passed, and Timon looked down at Pumbaa, who had not moved an inch. "Heigh-ho, Pumbaa, away?" Pumbaa only looked up at him with a slight glare. "Hut-hut?" Pumbaa arched an eyebrow. "... Vroom-vroom?"

"_Vroom-vroom?_" Pumbaa blinked.

"Would you just get moving before it's officially lunch time?" Timon asked with a furrowed brow. He gulped and hung onto Pumbaa's ears tightly as the warthog ran forward towards the dry lands.

_Back with the kids..._

Bango and Morake walked side by side as they walked over the dry ground of the Outlands.

"See, Bango? There's nothing to be scared of here," Morake said.

"_Now_ anyway. But where's that animal with the scary roar?" Bango asked, looking around.

"There aren't exactly any places to hide out here. So unless it comes from underground--"

"We could be walking on it now!" Bango whimpered and stopped where he was. "And it probably doesn't like animals walking all over it."

Morake walked around Bango and then pushed against him to get him moving again. "Think of Kito. We're trying to save him and then we'll be looking for your uncle, remember?" Bango nodded and started walking ahead on his own. Morake walked up beside him again. "Why are you so _afraid_ of everything?"

"I don't know. Where Kito and I live we don't have to worry about anything. There are no predators there to chase us and there are lots of bugs and stuff. I guess being outside such a safe place makes me nervous," Bango shrugged.

"That sounds nice. Why doesn't Kito seem scared?"

"My guess is _he_ doesn't like to be safe all the time. He wants a little adventure, but he didn't want to be out here alone." He grinned, "He _begged_ me to stay here yesterday when we got here, when he realized neither of us knew where Rafiki's tree was and I was ready to go back home."

Morake smiled and nodded. "Home. Must be nice."

Bango was about to respond to that, but they both stopped when they heard a low grunt. "What was _that?_"

"I don't know... I thought that was _you._" Morake gulped and then walked ahead a bit further. "I'm not seeing anything yet..."

Bango trotted to catch up to him. "Maybe it _is_ coming from underground."

"Uh-uh, that was _above_ ground. Didn't sound muffled or anything."

"Morake, you can't tell it's above ground if it's just a grunt." They both stopped when they heard a familiar bellowing roar straight ahead of them.

"How about _that?!_"

"Tell you later. **_Run!_**" They both turned and ran back towards the Pride Lands at top speed.

_Back with Timon and Pumbaa..._

"We should start with the Outlanders' cave?" Pumbaa asked as he walked over the log that lay over the river. He hopped off it and walked forward.

"Sure, why not? It's a scary place. Kidnappers would flock to such a place," Timon said. "And besides, there's lots of termite mounds there."

"These had better be _good_ termite mounds," Pumbaa said with a furrowed brow.

"Would you stop focusing solely on the termites, Pumbaa? We've got kids out here somewhere."

"They could be _anywhere else_ but here."

"We gotta start some--" the bellowing roar, heard in the distance, drowned Timon's last word out.

"What was _that?!_" Pumbaa asked, more surprised than he was scared for once.

"Nothing I've ever heard before... maybe it's the kidnappers' guard monster!" Timon replied, bending over to Pumbaa to look at him straight in the face.

"You assume too much, Timon."

"Yeah, maybe someone has bad gas." Timon pulled on Pumbaa's ear and shouted into it, "**_Would you get going so we can get the kids?!_**"

Pumbaa winced. "I'm not exactly standing still, you know. And if the kids _are_ out here, I'll--"

Timon looked ahead and said in a flat tone, "Do you _really_ want to say anything more?" He pointed ahead to two quickly approaching figures. Bango and Morake paid no attention to whom they were passing as they ran over the log and returned to the Pride Lands.

"Am I seeing things, or was that Bango being chased by a cheetah?" Pumbaa asked.

"Technically, you _are_ seeing things. Bango and a cheetah _are_ things, so--" Timon said casually, and then he smacked himself. "That _**was**_ Bango! But I didn't see Kito on him!" Timon jumped off Pumbaa's head. "Bango must've managed to escape and they sent an attack cheetah on him! They still have Kito!"

"What do we do, **_what do we do?!_**" Pumbaa asked, panicking.

"You go after Bango and the cheetah, and I'll go to the Outlanders' cave!"

"Right!" Pumbaa ran back across the log towards the Pride Lands while Timon continued running towards the Outlands.

_To be continued..._


	19. Running or Chasing?

Votes so far:   
_Out of the Blue_ - 1

_With the Wind_ - 3

Chapter was originally longer, but seemed too long.  So the other part's gonna be uploaded later.  Sorry for this being a short chapter... so far shortest chapter I've uploaded on this site. ::gives herself a lame prize:: Yay.

Chapter 19:

Bango and Morake got a fair distance into the Pride Lands before Morake finally ran out of juice and sat down, panting heavily. Bango noticed the lessened running footsteps, so he stopped and looked back at him.

"Are you OK, Morake?" he asked panting as he walked back to the cheetah.

Morake panted and nodded. "Ju--Just give me a f--few minutes."

Bango looked back towards the Outlands and blinked. "I don't see it chasing us."

"I don't think it ever leaves the Outlands. Maybe it only scares animals so it can be left alone."

Bango gulped, "Wonder what it eats." He went to look away, but something caught his eye. "I thought you said it never leaves."

Morake swallowed, "It doesn't."

"Well, _something's_ coming this way..." Morake looked.

"Don't worry, Bango! Daddy's coming!" a voice called to them.

"_Daddy?_" Morake blinked, looking at Bango.

"Uh-oh, I'm busted," Bango gulped as he recognized Pumbaa running towards them.

Pumbaa ran up towards them, and then slowed to a trot when he realized they were no longer running. He blinked at Morake. "A cheetah _cub?_ Why would they send a cub after Bango?" he asked. "I guess the big ones were out to lunch."

"Who's they, Dad?" Bango asked.

"The kidnap--" Pumbaa forgot the situation briefly until Bango spoke up. "Bango! You're safe!" He pulled Bango into a tight hug. "Oh, you have no idea how worried I was!" He felt Bango tapping on his front legs. "What?"

"Getting... dark..." Bango managed to get out.

Pumbaa quickly released the piglet, who coughed briefly. "Sorry." He then cleared his throat and pushed against Bango with his snout. "Hurry, son, before he gets his second wind!"

"What? Who?" Bango asked, looking very confused.

"That cheetah!" Pumbaa motioned with his tail. "He was chasing you, wasn't he?"

"No, Dad, he was _running behind_ me! Morake's my friend."

"Huh?" Pumbaa turned to Morake. "Your friend?" He then smiled and nodded, thinking he understood. "Oh, OK, I get it. He was kidnapped _with_ you and Kito and you became friends. And _then_ you two managed to escape the kidnappers and were on your way to Pride Rock to get Uncle Simba's help to free Kito, right?"

"Kidnappers?" Morake blinked.

_Is that what Shani told them? Well, she didn't tattle on us anyway,_ Bango thought. "Uh... well, actually--"

"That's a good idea, son. We'll go grab your Uncle Timon and then we'll get Uncle Simba's help." Pumbaa turned to lead the way, but as he was turning he stopped and looked ahead at an approaching figure. "Uh-oh..."

Bango looked where he was looking and gulped.

_To be continued..._


	20. Saved or Kidnapped?

Well, like I said in the last chapter, the chapter was a little long, so I cut it up. I was nearly done with it when I posted 19 up, so here's 20. _Yatta_ (Yay in Japanese). 

All right, we got more votes! _With the Wind_ is at 3 votes, _Out of the Blue_ is catching up with 2. And by the way Pichooi, I got the title _Out of the Blue_ from _The Road to El Dorado,_ which features music by Elton John and Tim Rice. Gotta love their music, neh? Oh, and the thing Pumbaa and Bango were gulping at at the end of the last chapter wasn't the creature I call the _Nunda,_ but much worse... ::grin:: Just read ahead and you'll see what I mean.

Chapter 20:

The wind blew lightly as Timon marched forward in the direction he remembered the Outlanders' cave was. He had a determined look on his face as he saw the termite mounds up ahead. He suddenly stopped when he heard a low grunt a fair distance straight ahead. He furrowed his brow and continued. "Growl all you want, guard monster. I'm not leaving until I get my son back." The grunt turned into the familiar roar as Timon drew closer. Timon gnashed his teeth and covered his ears, ignoring how big the roar sounded. The roar died down, and Timon ran ahead.

Sly was sitting on top of the cave as he watched a meerkat run towards them. A meerkat climbed out of one of the skylights of the cave and met with Sly. "The _Nunda's_ roar didn't scare him off. What'll we do?"

"Very determined, isn't he?" Sly said with a raised eyebrow and a grin. "Normally the roar's enough to scare even the biggest animal away. So he's either a very determined rogue aiming to fight to get into our colony or he's that pup's father. Either way, I'm going to meet with him." Sly grabbed a nearby vine and climbed down it.

Timon stopped running when he noticed the meerkat climbing down the vine on the side of the Outlanders' cave. _Meerkats. Good, it's easier to fight a kidnapper without Pumbaa if he's my size,_ Timon thought as he marched ahead towards the meerkat.

Sly dropped to the ground and watched as Timon came towards him. _If he starts a fight first, then he's a rogue,_ Sly thought as he walked towards Timon.

They stopped mere feet from each other, neither looking away nor saying a word. Timon was about to break the silence when the meerkat Sly was talking to a moment ago came up from behind Timon and put him in a sleeper hold. "I've got a hold of him, Sly!"

Timon growled and threw the meerkat over his head. "So, a sneak attack, huh?" he asked as he rubbed his neck. "Well, bring it on!"

_Not afraid to fight, huh?_ Sly sneered as he approached Timon. Before Sly could say anything Timon leapt on him and started to wrestle with him. Sly fought back, merely as defense.

Inside the cave three meerkats ran past Kito, who was still sleeping, when they heard one of their own was fighting an outsider. The wave of wind caused by the running meerkats woke Kito up.

The pup sat up, stretched and yawned. "Morning already? Nights are never long enough." He scratched his head and noticed the meerkats exiting the cave. "Where's the fire?"

Yasmin was about to run past, but stopped to tell him what was going on. "There's an outsider fighting Sly. A few of us are going out to help him," she explained. She was about to run off when she realized Kito didn't know Sly's name. "Oh, uh, S-Sly's the one who rescued you from the _Nunda._"

Kito blinked as he watched her run out of the cave. He kicked the leaves that he was using as a blanket off and walked towards the exit to see.

Outside, Timon was pulled off Sly by the three other meerkats. They held onto him tightly as others helped Sly up. Timon struggled as Sly dusted himself off and approached him. "You were wasting your time," he said to Timon.

"What do you mean?" Timon growled.

"If you were trying to kill the leader to get into this mob, you were fighting the wrong guy. I'm not the leader... not yet anyway."

"I'd _never_ join your mob, but I _do_ want to meet with your boss."

"Our 'boss' isn't well, so if you want to keep your life, you'll leave."

Timon growled as he struggled against the meerkats holding onto him. "I'm not leaving until my son back! So hand him over!"

Sly arched an eyebrow. "Your son?"

Timon used his paw to motion Kito's height as he dryly said, "You know, 3 months old, 'bout ye high, red hair, blue eyes... but why am I telling you this? You should know since you _kidnapped_ him!"

"That's _your_ son?" Sly asked, and then signaled for the meerkats holding him to release him. The kidnapped part didn't phase him. He didn't exactly bring the pup back to his parents because of the storm, so the parent _would_ think he was kidnapped.

The meerkats released Timon, who quickly grabbed the front of Sly's chest fur, growled, and pressed his nose against Sly's. "Don't play dumb with me!"

"Calm down. I know what you're thinking, but I didn't kidnap him. I saved him from a predator attack!"

"Oh, I see," Timon said with a sarcastic air. "So you _save_ him and bring him _all_ the way back to this cave with _no_ concern about his parents?"

"I was lucky I managed to bring him back here where it was safe in that storm last night," Sly retorted. "I was going to--"

"_Last night?!_ He and his warthog cousin disappeared from our oasis _two_ nights ago!"

"I've never been to your oasis, so it wasn't us, pal!" Kito pushed his way through the crowd of meerkats to see Timon ready to draw his fist back.

"Dad?" Kito blinked as he walked over towards Timon.

"Not now, son, I'm trying to find out what this guy did to you," Timon said without looking at his son. He was about to open his mouth to say something more to Sly, but then he suddenly blinked. "Kito?" He looked down at the pup.

Kito nervously smiled and waved. "Hi, Dad."

Timon looked to Kito, and then he turned back to Sly. "I'll come back to you in a moment." He shoved Sly over to the meerkats who were holding him earlier and then he knelt down to Kito and hugged him tightly. "Kito! You're not hurt, are ya?"

"No, but Dad... choking... not breathing..." Kito squeaked out.

Timon gulped and eased his grip. Kito coughed a bit when he was able to breathe again. "Oy, I'm turning into my mother." He held Kito out to look at him. "Aside from the shortness of breath, are you OK?"

"I overslept breakfast so I'm a little hungry, but other than that, yeah," Kito said as he rubbed his arm.

Timon arched an eyebrow as he watched his son rub his arm. He lifted the tiny paw up to see he was rubbing the cut on his arm. "Where'd you get _that?_"

"Before you accuse us of doing that to him, he had that cut _before_ I found him," Sly spoke up as he smoothed his chest fur out.

"Excuse me for a minute, son." Timon got up and went back to Sly. "You're saying you found him _last_ night?"

"What do you want me to do to convince you I'm telling the truth, swear it on my mother's grave?" Sly growled, folding his arms in front of his chest.

"That would work, but how do I know your mother isn't still alive?"

Kito was rolling his eyes. _Shani told Mom and Dad I was kidnapped? Sheesh!_ He shook his head, and then he noticed some approaching figures. He gulped, "Um, Dad?"

"Not now, Kito, I'm trying to get this guy to--"

"Dad, would you _look_ already?"

Timon heaved a sigh and looked where Kito motioned towards, and gulped. Pumbaa, Bango, and Morake approached them, with Jina right behind them. Bango sat down, looking down at the ground, looking very sad.

"Jina, what a surprise!" Timon nervously said with a smile. "Visiting family?"

"I will be, as soon as you know what's been going on," Jina replied.

"_Jina?_" Sly said softly to himself. Sudi dropped down from Jina's back, and helped his sister Zuri down. Sly softly gasped and ducked back behind Yasmin and the three other meerkats.

"Oy vey..." Timon said to himself as he rubbed his eyes. He spoke up, "Didn't Pumbaa and I ask you ladies to stay home and take care of the girls? You only had to wait another half a day."

"Who are you calling a _lady?_" Sudi joked.

"Don't talk to him, Sudi," Zuri softly growled, to which Sudi held up his paws in defense. She turned to Timon as she walked towards him. "Our parents are watching them." She knelt down to Kito, hugged and kissed him. "Are you all right, sweetie?"

"Uh-huh," Kito nodded.

"Good, because you are in _so_ much trouble." She kissed the top of his head again before standing up.

"_He's_ in trouble? For what?" Timon asked, looking confused.

"Shani told on us, didn't she?" Kito sighed.

Zuri chucked Kito's chin softly. "If it makes you feel any better, I _made_ her tell me." She turned back to Timon. "As soon as we found out, I had to come and tell you. Kito and Bango weren't kidnapped; they _left_ the oasis."

"_What?!_ Why?" Timon looked down at Kito.

Kito looked down at his feet. "Bango and I, uh... overheard you and Grandma talking about Uncle Titus."

Timon's expression softened a bit. "Titus?"

"You both looked so sad, and I'm not used to seeing you like that. I thought if we could find him for you, everyone would be happy again."

"Kito--"

Kito lifted his face up to meet with Timon's. "Before you get mad we went to Rafiki first before we went looking and he told us he was _alive_ and in the Outlands somewhere with a colony of meerkats!" He rubbed his arm with the cut. "He needed a sample of his blood for a location spell, and I had some trace of it from you."

"Titus is alive?" Pumbaa asked. He smiled as he looked to Timon. "Timon, it _must_ be true if Rafiki said it!"

"It may be true, but there's no one by that name here," Sengbe said as he walked towards the group.

Zuri nearly did a double take when he stepped up. She approached him. "You're not just saying that, are you, Sengbe?"

"_Sengbe?_" Sudi softly said.

"I respected you, Zuri. Why would I lie to you because of what your father did to Sylvester and me?"

Yasmin, who was standing next to the group of local meerkats, tilted her head slightly. "Zuri...?"

"I promise you, no one here goes by the name of Titus."

Kito, bored with the conversation now, started to look around the area, since it was the first time he was actually there. He then noticed Sly started to walk back into the cave. "Mr. Sly, where are you going?"

Sly stopped and cursed himself for walking so slow. Sudi and Jina looked and gasped. Zuri paused for a moment, and then slowly turned to see. She walked past Timon and Sengbe and walked towards Sly. When she reached him, he was still facing away. She put a paw on his shoulder and turned him around to face her. Neither said a word. Zuri began to reach up to touch his cheek to see if he was real, but she pulled it back. A few more moments passed, and she finally just hugged him, to which he returned the favor.

Timon's jaw dropped, as did Pumbaa's. Kito and Bango stood there, blinking. Morake just shrugged; he didn't know them all well enough to know this was unnatural for this family. Yasmin stood there, aghast. The rest just stood there.

Sudi walked over to Timon and closed his mouth. He said with a sarcastic air, "Leaves ya kinda speechless, don't it?"

_To be continued..._


	21. Awkward Introductions

Well, that was a bad weekend.  Internet died on me.  OK, title status:

_Out of the Blue_: 2

_With the Wind_: 3

_His Brother's Keeper_ (suggested by nachonaco): 1

Chapter 21:

Timon finally recovered from the shock after seeing Zuri suddenly hug the meerkat he was fighting against minutes before. He sputtered a few unintelligible words until he finally managed to shout, "_**HEY! WHAT'S GOIN' ON HERE?!!**_"

All eyes turned away from Zuri and Sly to Timon, who was red in the face and, though it didn't show, terribly confused. Zuri cleared her throat and pulled herself away from Sly's arms, brushing the tears from her face. Sly only blinked and looked at Timon. He kept an arm wrapped around Zuri's shoulders. No one said a word for that long moment.

Jina glanced over at Pumbaa, who was still frozen in the previous shock. "_Umm..._ I think there's too much of a crowd here. So, uh, why don't we start looking for Titus?" Jina said as she closed Pumbaa's dropped jaw. "Pumbaa, Bango, let's go." Recovering from the shock, Pumbaa allowed himself to be lead away from the group of meerkats, though very confused.

Bango started to follow after them, but then looked back at Morake, who was still sitting there, watching. He walked back over and shoved against him. "You can help, too, Morake."

"Aww, do I hafta?" Morake protested as he was lead away.

"If _I_ hafta, then _you_ hafta."

Kito was about to sneak away with them, but Timon bent over and grabbed the end of his tail. "Uh-uh, not yet. I need you for reference." As soon as the larger animals left Timon marched over to Sly and Zuri. "I know you and I have had a disagreement going on lately, but _hugging_ the guy for beating me in a fight?" He sneered at Sly, "He even cheated!" He eyed Sly's arm on Zuri's shoulders and smacked it off.

"Hey! What was _that_ for?" Sly asked as he rubbed his arm.

"Ever heard of 'look, but don't touch,' Mac?"

"_Timon!_" Zuri frowned.

"Oh, well, _excuse_ me. I just thought you were a rogue trying to get into the colony when _you_ started the fight," Sly growled in a sarcastic tone.

"_I _started the fight?! That was your wrestling fan friend over there who started the fight!" The meerkat in question innocently whistled as he walked away and entered the cave. "Oh, and while we're on the subject, just because a meerkat wonders into new meerkat colony territory, you mark him as a rogue?" He dryly looked at Zuri, "Lemme take a wild guess: he used to be a member of your colony?"

"Uh, yes, actually," Zuri said as she tapped her fingertips together nervously.

Timon blinked, surprised that he got it correct. "_Really?_"

Sengbe stepped up to the group and put a paw on Sly's shoulder. "We both used to."

"Wow. Your dad kicked a lot of guys out, didn't he?" Timon asked Zuri. She furrowed her brow at him.

"You seem rather familiar with this rogue. Zuri, aren't you going to introduce us?"

Zuri nervously smiled and chuckled. "Uh... _gee,_ how do I do this?" She reached over and pulled Sudi over. "Sudi, you know all these guys. Why don't _you_ introduce them to each other?"

"Scardey-kat," Sudi frowned. He then cleared his throat and stood between the group and gestured to the meerkats he named off. "Timon, Sengbe, Sly. Sengbe, Sly, Timon."

Zuri smacked her brother's shoulder. "I meant a more _descriptive_ introduction, little brother."

Timon pointed at Sly with a surprised look on his face and asked Zuri, "_Your_ Sly? _This_ is the guy you said I remind you of?" Timon took a quick look at Sly, looking at him from head to toe. He folded his arms in front of his chest. "I just don't see it." Zuri put a paw to her lips and stifled a giggle, to which Timon furrowed his brow.

"See? Timon knew who Sly was," Sudi gestured with a paw to his sister.

"Fine, then would you do a better introduction for Timon to Sengbe and Sly to Timon?" Zuri asked with a paw on her hip.

"Fine." Sudi cleared his throat and gestured a paw to Sengbe. "Timon, this is Sengbe, Sly's father. He was thrown out of the colony after challenging Dad. Sengbe didn't appreciate him throwing his son out."

"My sympathies," Timon nodded to him.

"Thank you," Sengbe nodded to him.

Sudi then gestured a paw to Timon. "Sly, this is Timon, the son of--" He blinked when Zuri slapped a paw over his mouth.

"Uh, the son of a rogue!" Zuri blurted out with a nervous smile.

"**_What?!_**" Timon asked with a wrinkled nose and a furrowed brow.

"That's what he was _gonna_ say. I know that much." Zuri pushed Sudi aside. "Sorry, you know Sudi's always been some kind of kidder." She gulped and said awkwardly, "Timon's actually... my mate." Yasmin looked relieved and let out a relieved sigh.

Sly looked less relieved. He pointed at Timon with a surprised expression, "_Your_ mate? So Shomari decided against Makali?"

"At least until Timon saved us from a hyena. Sort of a token of his gratitude."

"That's right. Great Timon they call me," Timon said with a puffed out chest.

"He's so terribly humble, isn't he?" Zuri said with a grin and a roll of her eyes.

"Odd. I don't remember a Timon," Sengbe spoke up.

"Uh, also a token of my father's gratitude, granting Timon membership to our colony," Zuri mumbled. Timon arched an eyebrow, wondering why she's lying so much.

"So he _is_ a rogue," Sly said out loud to himself.

"_Was,_ thank you," Timon growled.

Kito spoke up and tugged on Timon's arm. "Come on, Dad, be nice. Mr. Sly saved me from some monsters last night."

Zuri looked at Kito, and then to Sly. "Monsters?"

"I couldn't tell what the first one was because it was storming last night, and there was very little light. But I do know the other was the _Nunda,_" Sly nodded as he bent over to Kito and ruffled his hair up a bit. "He fainted as soon as he saw it. I was out getting a snack and I found him there."

Timon pulled Kito away from Sly and ruffled his son's hair back to how it normally looked. "_Nunda?_"

Yasmin stepped up to the group and leaned her weight against Sly. "It means Beast of Prey. It's larger than a lion, louder than a herd of elephants, and hungrier and more bloodthirsty than the biggest meat eater. We also believe it to be faster than a cheetah. Strikes so fast you're dead before you hit the ground."

"That roar I heard earlier...?" Timon thought out loud.

"Its call. Probably calling out to its clan." Yasmin smiled and offered a paw to Zuri, ending the spooky mood. "I'm Yasmin, Sly's fiancé. I've heard _so_ much about you, Zuri."

Zuri blinked and shook it. "Charmed. I'm glad Sly managed to move on."

Yasmin looked down at Kito. "We've never been properly introduced either. What's your name, cutie?"

"This is our son Kito."

"I thought I felt something special about him," Sly said. He took a good look at Kito, and then to Timon. "Good news, Timon. He doesn't look a thing like you."

"Why, I aughta--" Timon growled as he began to roll his 'sleeves' up. A glare from Zuri stopped him. Timon then cleared his throat. "OK, nice to meet you, Sly, but we need to getting going." He shot a look to Kito, "We have some things to discuss, among them includes a serious grounding." Kito gulped.

Zuri was silent for a moment, as if thinking. "Aww, Timon, can't we stay for a while?"

"_What?_" Timon asked flatly.

"You know, a little vacation away from paradise, live on termites for a few days?"

"Yeah, and get reacquainted with your old _boyfriend_ too, I'm guessing?"

"Well, it _has_ been over three years. But aside from that, you have a brother out here in the Outlands somewhere. I just thought you'd wanna stay here instead of walking all the way to Pride Rock and back." She grinned and stepped up to him. "Otherwise, Great Timon, I want to know how _trusting_ you are of me."

"Trusting?" Timon nervously asked with an arched brow.

"Oh, you know, make sure that if we stayed here..." She turned around and glanced at him as she started to walk away from him, "You wouldn't act _jealous._"

Timon gulped, straightened up, and pretended to look insulted. "Me? _Jealous?_ Ha! Good one, Zuri. He's got his girl, you've got your man. What's there to be jealous about?"

"I ain't touching that one," Sudi said, rolling his eyes.

Kito nodded, "And maybe you'll think of a way to repay him for saving me."

Sly watched them talk for a moment, and then he turned to Sengbe. "You wouldn't mind, would you, Pop?"

Sengbe glanced at the group for a moment. "There will only be four meerkats in your group?"

"That's right," Sudi nodded.

"And I'm assuming the warthogs and the cheetah cub are with you as well?"

"Yeah, but Morake only eats bugs," Kito spoke up.

"Even if he only ate dirt, they would attract the _Nunda's_ attention."

"I'll run it through with my father later when the warthogs and cheetah come back. Right now, why don't we all go inside?" Yasmin asked as she took Sly's wrist and pulled him into the cave.

"I have my own feet to walk on, Yasmin," Sly said as he disappeared into the cave. Sengbe shook his head and followed after them with the other three meerkats.

Zuri was about to follow in suite, but Timon pulled her back. "Why did you lie to them about me?"

"Because Sengbe was there in the fight between our colonies. He has a deep hatred of Fearless Buzz maybe a little less than my father did. If he knew who you are..." She made a swiping paw motion at Timon's throat.

Timon put a paw over his throat and gulped. "OK, I'll buy that. What about Sly?"

"Eh, he feels the same way as the rest of us born after that fight. He was raised to hate the colony of Fearless Buzz," Sudi said with a slight shrug.

Timon grimaced and folded his arms across his chest. "You, too, Sudi?"

"Well, that's why I came along. I can't grow to like you staying home while you're off on some hair-brained adventure all the time."

"Gee, thanks."

"Am I done being a reference, Dad? I'm _starving!_" Kito pulled on Timon's arm.

"That sounds like a good idea, actually," Zuri said as she patted her stomach.

"All right, all right. Let's see if the breakfast buffet is still open," Timon said, and then he walked into the cave.

Kito looked up at Zuri as they followed after Timon. "Mom, do you hate me for trying to make Dad happy?"

Zuri looked down at him and smiled softly. "Of course I don't hate you, baby. You've already made him happy by staying safe, and finding out his brother is alive." She exhaled softly as she looked ahead. "But I wonder how happy he will be when he finds him?"

_To be continued..._


	22. Past Issues

All right, 6 reviews in one day! I haven't had that happen forever! Thanks, **TookBaggins**! As for that "Darla Dimple quote" thing: it seemed like a good closing line. Couldn't think of anything original, what can I say? Only that Sudi didn't say it like Darla did. **Kiara32, **well, nice to know I'm still good at something... but the past chapter updates came from complete boredom, having nothing better to do, and total concentration. Next week my Dad's getting a hernia surgery, so I won't get much concentration for a while. Anyway, let's review the current story title votes:

_Out of the Blue:_ 3 votes

_With the Wind:_ 4 votes

_His Brother's Keeper:_ 1 vote

Well, With the Wind is still in the lead. Though Cathy brings up a good point as to why I should keep _Out of the Blue. _Hmm... now I'm not sure... Maybe _Out of the Windy Blue?_ ... Nah.

Chapter 22:

"Sly? You mean that was_ Zuri's_ Sly?"

"I'm very sure it was," Jina said to Pumbaa as they walked through the Outlands. Bango and Morake were running ahead of them, chasing a few wondering insects. "Same stripes, same height, same hair color, and the fact that his father Sengbe was there as well."

Bango looked back at his parents as Morake continued to chase after the insects. "So why are they _here_ in the Outlands instead of with _us_ in the oasis?" he asked.

Jina clicked her tongue. "Well, Bango, the reason for that started a few years ago, before Uncle Timon and your father met Aunt Zuri and me."

"Go 'head. We're not busy," Morake said as he dropped a paw on a bug, scooped it up, and dropped it into his mouth.

Pumbaa grimaced slightly at the cheetah. "Why did he have to find a _cheetah?_" he mumbled to himself. He turned back to Jina. "I remember hearing about Sly, but what about his father?"

"Sengbe learned of Sly's banishment, and demanded the reason from Shomari." Jina shrugged, "It was the same reason he would normally give: he wasn't worthy enough to stay in the colony or marry his daughter. No one ever thought it was a good reason. He always disliked Sly for one reason or another. Sengbe said he was tired of living under Shomari's ruling, ever since he fought his way into the mob."

"He was there _before_ Shomari came into the colony?" Pumbaa asked.

"Older than Shomari and belonged to one of the alpha couples allowed to have pups. Three of the four pups he and his mate had in the last litter had died of illness or eaten by predators, and Sly was the only survivor of that litter."

"Gee, no wonder he wasn't too happy about Sly's banishment."

"Yes, and because of his age he wouldn't stand a chance against Shomari, so ignoring his wife's pleas he left to go after Sly and make sure he wouldn't lose him by some horrible death." She shook her head sadly. "His wife only lasted a week before she died of a broken heart."

"Oh, so if Sly wasn't banished, _he'd_ be my uncle instead of Uncle Timon?" Bango asked as he tried to snatch a bug scurrying by. He missed it.

Pumbaa blinked and looked at Jina, "I don't think it would, would it?"

"Well, he would be Kito's _father,_ but other than that, it was because of Timon that we all met. So you wouldn't even be born, Bango," Jina said.

Bango gulped. "So I wouldn't be _alive_ if you didn't meet? But living is basically all I do!"

"That and letting Kito drag you out here," Morake said as he got down low and pounced at some bugs nearby. He continued to try pouncing on them as they headed towards a termite mound.

"Don't remind me."

Pumbaa watched Morake pounce and continued to feel a bit uncomfortable. Jina caught wind of this and nudged him lightly. "What's the matter?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Pumbaa asked softly, gesturing over to Morake. "I've told you about what happened to my family when I was young."

Jina looked at Morake, and then watched as Bango walked over to him and sniffed at the base of the termite mound they stopped by. "Since when have _you_ turned your back on someone in need?"

Pumbaa wrinkled his brow slightly. "I'm not turning my back on anyone, Jina. But who said Morake was in need?"

"Think about it. He's about four months old and his mother's no where in sight."

"Well, maybe he forgot about her when he found Kito and Bango and decided to play with them. It happened to Kito."

Jina shook her head. "Pumbaa, look at how skinny he is. Even if he left his mother yesterday you wouldn't see right through him."

"So you think he doesn't have a mother to give him food?"

"That's _exactly_ what I'm saying. He probably thought of catching bugs after he met Kito and Bango. But we both know there aren't as many bugs out in the Pride Lands as there is back home." They watched as Morake reached into a hole in the termite mound. "He's an orphaned cub with almost no hunting instincts and Bango's already called him friend." She looked directly at Pumbaa. "Is your fear and hatred of cheetahs going to keep you from treating him as an equal, like you treat everyone?"

Pumbaa looked at her, and then he watched as Bango snatch the bug Morake fished out of the termite mound. "Well, I guess a cheetah isn't _that_ much different from a lion. And if we could teach a lion to live on grubs, we can teach a cheetah, right?"

Jina smiled and gave him a loving nudge. "Right." Pumbaa returned the favor.

"He's deep in here," Morake growled as he continued to reach into the mound.

"Can't you blow him out? Get a lot of termites while you're at it," Bango said as he watched over Morake's shoulder.

Morake moved to pull his arm out, but then he blinked. "Wait a second." He pawed inside the mound until he pulled something out of the hole and batted it out onto the ground. "That doesn't look like something you'd _normally_ find in a termite mound."

"Mom, Dad, c'mhere!" Bango called over to Pumbaa and Jina.

Pumbaa and Jina trotted over to them. "What's wrong?" Jina asked.

"You know bug behavior better than I do, so could you tell us why there was a snail shell inside a termite mound?" Bango asked as he pushed the object in question over to them with his snout.

Pumbaa turned the shell over, peering inside. "It's empty." He sniffed it and shrugged. "I don't know. I'm very sure termites don't eat snails."

"Maybe a local Outlands meerkat ate the snail and just decided to stuffed it inside?" Jina asked.

"Lazy litterbug."

"Outland meerkats are weird," Morake said, blinking.

"Another question: do termites mounds have limbs like trees?" Bango asked, poking at some sticks on the ground.

"No, but termites _do_ eat wood. I would've thought they'd bring them inside to snack on instead of leaving them out here," Pumbaa said, eying the sticks.

"But there aren't any trees out here," Jina said, looking around. "Where would they get them from without walking all the way to the Pride Lands?"

Pumbaa shook his head, "The Outlands are full of mysteries. Maybe we'd better move on. We gotta find Titus for Timon." He received a round of nods before they walked away from the termite mound.

_To be continued..._


	23. Permission

Yeah, I know, another short chapter. What can I say? Only that the next chapter will be up really soon. 

Good news, my dad made it out of his hernia surgery just fine, though he's a bit drowsy still (understandable) and a little annoyed that he's limited to what he can eat. To my understandings he's pretty much limited to soups, puddings, and gelatins. Also no spicy or greasy foods. What a drag! He's told to take it easy, but knowing how hard-headed he is he'll find ways to get out of the house and do stuff instead of staying home all day watching DVD movies (when he doesn't totally know how to work the remote).

Anyway as for the story title, I've decided I won't change it for now. I'll just put up an AKA (Also Known As) in the summary or something. Thanks anyway, those who voted!

Chapter 23:

Sengbe walked into the deeper part of the cave and on the higher levels. He approached an older meerkat who was lying upright in a nest. The older meerkat appeared sickly. Sengbe knelt down to him and bowed his head in respect.

"Sengbe. This had _better_ be important," the older meerkat said with a cough.

"We have visitors, Khairi. They heard the _Nunda's_ roar, yet they persisted to come here."

"A rarity indeed. Are they a group of rogues?"

Sengbe shook his head. "Not exactly. The pup my son brought back last night belongs to them." He sighed,"The pup's mother is Sylvester's love interest from our former mob."

Khairi sat up a bit more in his nest with a slight growl. "... I don't need to remind you the barter between the two of us when I allowed you and your son to become part of our colony, do I, Sengbe?" Sengbe sighed and shook his head. "Good. So if you expect to remain as you are now, you _know_ what I expect to become of this girl."

Sengbe's eyebrows rose in brief shock, and then he lifted his eyes to meet Khairi's. "Khairi, I don't think that will be necessary. She's married, so I doubt she'll interfere." He exhaled, "But she requests to stay here with her mate, brother, and son until they locate someone called Titus."

"Hmph. I know no Titus."

"Nor do I."

Khairi exhaled deeply. "Very well, then. Until they find this Titus, they may stay."

"I understand. Now, they also have three warthogs in their company, and a cheetah as well. They'll wish for permission to allow them to stay here as well."

"A _cheetah?_"

"A cub, about four months. I'm told he's an insectivore."

The elder meerkat exhaled deeply and sunk back into the nest. "I will think about it. For now, I must rest. Leave me." Sengbe bowed his head, and began to turn to leave. "And, Sengbe?"

Sengbe stopped. "Yes?"

"Make _sure_ she does not interfere. If she does--"

"I understand, Khairi. I'll keep an eye on things." He bowed his head again and left.

Khairi exhaled deeply as Sengbe walked away. "You had better, for _your_ sake."

_To be continued..._


	24. Changes

Didn't I tell you in Chapter 23 that it wouldn't take me long to get the next chapter up? But man, this was hard to work on. This is about the third version of this chapter that I made up. Really hard to get what you want going in a fic with two love rivals on each other's cases and still making it sound good and make sense. For some reason, I'm sensing a small taste of _Midsummer Night's Dream_ in here, maining between Timon, Zuri, Sly, and Yasmin. Those who have read that play or seen movies/shorts of it will see what I mean. And like I said, taste, not a whole flavor of it. Anyway, read on, ye faithful readers. 

Chapter 24:

"Outlands, shmoutlands... these are better than what Ma used to make!" Timon said as he ate a termite from in between two twigs ala Chinese chopsticks. He, Zuri, and Sudi were sitting in front of a termite hole and using twigs to fish the termites out.

"Don't let _her_ hear you say that," Zuri said with a grin.

"She's half a day away from us. I'm pretty sure she can't hear us."

"I don't know... you know mothers."

Timon grimaced as he stood. "Not lately." He blinked as he noticed several meerkats pushing coconut shell halves into the cave. As they passed by Timon and the others could see there was water inside.

"Where'd they get all that water? The nearest source has crocodiles in it," Sudi said with a confused look as the last meerkats pushed their shells by.

"Well, it _did_ rain last night," Timon said with a blink. He watched the last few meerkats with water shells stopped as Sly approached them. They exchanged some words, which couldn't be heard by Timon, and the three meerkats pushed the water shells back out of the cave.

Sly approached them. "Good news. My father talked to our leader Khairi, and he said you may stay until you find this Titus guy. He's still deciding on the warthogs and cheetah."

"You mean that wasn't _your_ cheetah?" Timon asked.

Sly furrowed his brow and folded his arms across his chest. "Oh, yeah, sure. If the _Nunda_ happens by it'll eat _him_ instead of us." He rolled his eyes and sighed. "Of _course_ he's not ours. I wouldn't wish that on a cub."

"The cheetah came with Kito and Bango," Sudi told Timon.

"Kito and Bango? Sheesh, what is it with this family and befriending big cat predator cubs?" Timon asked himself. He then shook his head. "I just hope this one isn't a prince or something that wants to come home with us."

Zuri stood and dusted her paws off. "Anyway, Sly, how long have you been living out here?"

"About eight months. We would've moved in right after the lions left, but we wanted to make sure this union thing was going to last. Aside from the shortage of water, it's a dry paradise," Sly said with his arms open a bit.

"So what do you do about water in the dry seasons?" Sudi asked.

"Dig deep. We usually find water." Sly shrugged, "Also good in case _Nunda_ happens our way."

"Ahh, I see. So you're still a community that digs to hide and hides to dig," Timon said dryly, nodding.

"Are you accusing us of being cowards, _Great_ Timon?" Sly growled as he cracked his knuckles.

"Oh, no, of course not. After all, not _everyone_ has the backbone to face a hyena." Timon puffed his chest out a bit.

"Backbone or lack of common sense?" Sly asked dryly.

Timon growled, but cleared his throat when Zuri poked him with her 'chopsticks.' "Anyway, I'm allergic to tunnels, which is why I was concerned."

"Really."

"Yeah, it's very amusing. He breaks out in hives when he gets near one," Sudi jokingly grinned.

Timon furrowed his brow. "Thanks for the sympathy."

"Don't believe them, Sly." Zuri slapped her brother's shoulder. "He does _not_ break out in hives and he is _not_ allergic to tunnels."

"We still don't get along," Timon replied.

"I expect that much from in-laws," Sly grinned, eying both Timon and Sudi.

"I wasn't talking about--"

"Well, it's more than the in-law thing. I mean, when you're raised to--" Sudi began, but got his mouth covered by Timon's paw.

"Yeah, yeah, your daddy raised you to hate rogues. I _know,_" Timon said with a furrowed brow. "Would you just _drop it?_"

Sudi pushed the paw away from his mouth. "Yeah. Rogues. Right."

"Well, it's true. We were raised that way," Sly nodded.

Timon turned to Sly with an arched brow. "Yeah, all colonies bring their kids up to hate rogues. In case you've forgotten, _you_ were a rogue yourself, _Sylvester._"

Sly growled and rolled up his furry sleeves. "You've got a death wish coming, Timmy-boy."

Zuri sighed and rubbed her temples as she stepped in front of Sly. "Well, your temper sure hasn't changed." She glanced over her shoulder at Timon. "And _you,_ quit trying to pick a fight."

"He started it, Zuri," Timon snorted.

"I don't care who started it. We're gonna be staying here for a few days, so can't you two at least _try_ to get along so we can have a pleasant stay? I mean, what do I have to do? _Beg?_"

"Be a nice change for some people." Timon gulped at the look he was given from Zuri. "Anyway, Pumbaa and Jina could be coming back with Titus any minute, so we might be leaving sooner than you think."

Zuri shook her head, "I really doubt it's gonna be that easy. Just because your parents named him Titus _then,_ it doesn't mean he'll answer to that name _now._"

"What do you mean?" Timon asked with a worried expression.

"Your brother wasn't old enough to talk, so he wouldn't be able to tell anyone what his real name was. Whoever picked him up would name him something different. The odds that he'd keep his name are like ten million to one."

"She's got a point," Sudi said, nodding.

"Oh, so what are we suppose to do, go around _every stinkin'_ meerkat colony in the Outlands and ask if they've come across a meerkat pup who just appeared out of the blue six years ago?" Timon sarcastically asked.

"How do you know he's part of an _Outlands_ colony? He could've just been wondering the Outlands at the time that monkey was doing the location spell," Sly said. "We've yet to encounter a second mob out here."

Timon stepped up to Sly. "How do I know you're not just saying that so that we'll leave quicker?"

"Would you believe me if I said I swore it on my mother's grave?"

Timon looked to Zuri and Sudi to get a confirmation. "We buried his mother," Sudi said.

"Crud," Timon grunted.

"Timon, he said _yet_ to encounter. That doesn't mean there isn't another colony out here," Zuri said, pulling Timon away from Sly.

"That's right. Though we try not to stray far from the caves, especially at night when the _Nunda_ is out," Sly nodded.

Timon shook his head dismissingly. "OK, all this negative talking is starting to bring me down again. If I wanted this I would've stayed in the oasis. I'm gonna get some fresh air." He turned around and walked away, waving back at them. "Later."

Sudi watched after Timon, and then cleared his throat. "Uh, I'm gonna go see how Kito's doing on that tour with Yasmin. You two get reacquainted." He patted Zuri's shoulder and walked away.

Sly watched after Timon as Zuri watched after Sudi.

Zuri blew some air out of her mouth. "I'm sorry about Timon, Sly. He just learned he had a brother a few days ago and he's been pretty moody."

"And _competitive?_" Sly snorted slightly.

"Usually for grubs, not for my attention."

Sly nodded his head in Timon's direction as he asked, "And your father made you _marry_ that slob?"

Zuri grunted slightly as she turned to look at Sly. "Timon's not a slob... well, he's a little lazy and he can't express his feelings very well, but he's not a slob. And Papa didn't exactly _make_ me marry him. He _let_ me."

Sly blinked as he turned to Zuri. "Let you? Since when does Shomari let you do _anything?_"

Zuri smiled and shook her head. "You'd be surprised how much a person can change over time when you don't have to worry about being eaten or digging tunnels."

"Yes, Timon mentioned an oasis," Sly nodded, sounding a little bitter. "Is it that good?"

"Waterfalls, hot tubs, bugs galore, and best of all, no predators trying to eat us. Timon and his warthog friend Pumbaa found on completely on accident."

Sly nodded, and then he blinked a moment. "OK, it's odd enough that _you_ made friends with a warthog, but you find _another_ meerkat who has a warthog for a friend?" He clicked his tongue. "Must be destiny."

Zuri lowered her eyes slightly, and then raised them back to Sly. "I hope you realize that despite this union, I never forgot about you, Sly. But I was really starting to believe I'd never see you again."

"I don't blame you for that." Sly cleared his throat. "But we can't change the past." He began to walk away, but Zuri grabbed onto his wrist.

"I want you to come back with us."

Sly shook his head to clear it, unsure if he heard that correctly. "_What?_"

"My father has changed so much since the union. I'm sure he'll let you come back into the colony if you ask. I know a lot of people who'd be happy to see you."

Sly sighed and removed her paw from his wrist. "I'm engaged to the leader's daughter, and any day now it'll be time to complete his part in the circle of life. With our union I'll take his place as leader of this colony with Yasmin. I can't abandon that." He started to walk away again.

Zuri watched after him with sad eyes. "But you'd abandon your _family?_"

Sly stopped before turning a corner and looked back at her. He scoffed, "Shomari kicked me out. My mother and my litter siblings are dead. My father is the only blood family I have. This colony is my home now. Live with it." He turned the corner.

Zuri's shoulders sunk and she sighed deeply. "Sly..."

_To be continued..._


	25. In Our Hearts

This idea came to me near the end of a dream Thanksgiving morning. It involved the _Lion King_ lions more humanlike technology-wise, like Nala in a hospital bed with an infant cub while Simba walks on two legs with little Kiara in his arms showing her the new cub and lionesses running computers and pushing trays in the background. Anyway, Phil Collin's _You'll Be In My Heart_ from _Tarzan_ was playing as Kiara presses her paw against the cub's, comparing the size. Some thoughts came up, and it developed into this chapter. 

How much I'm gonna work on this depends on Dad's recovery... he's doing better. Today he's been harassing people on the cell phone. The last few days he's been lying in the living room (where the computer is) watching action/adventure movies that my brother brought over, which I'm not a terribly big fan of. Hard to work when there's swearing and explosions in the background. Anyway, this chapter is a reminder that there _are_ other characters in this story besides the ones currently in the Outlands. :gasp: Yeah, I know. Sarcasm. Lets you know how the group in the oasis are doing at the time. Read on. PS, in the flashback I'm gonna call Ma Panya. UPDATE: Removed _You'll Be In My Heart_ lyrics.

Chapter 25:

Shomari paced back and forth in front of two meerkats. He had his paws behind his back and he shook his head. His mate Dalila stopped watching him about ten minutes ago, when she started to get dizzy. Ma was sitting nearby, staring at her feet.

"They haven't been gone long enough to come back at this time, so you may as well stop pacing, Shomari," Dalila said as she took a moment to look at her mate.

Shomari sighed and stopped pacing. "I know, but the wait is killing me. I never should've allowed Zuri and Sudi to go find them. I should've gone myself."

"What good would it do if _you_ went after them? If everyone saw you leave then the _whole_ colony would be off to the Pride Lands to find four meerkats and three warthogs."

Shomari glanced over at Ma, and then he walked over to Dalila and softly said, "_Five_ meerkats. Kito and Bango overheard about Titus. There's a slim chance they may actually find him."

"But is he still _alive?_" Dalila softly asked.On that note as if she could hear them, Ma stood and walked away.

Ma walked slowly through the oasis until she finally reached her nest. She shifted through the straw and leaves until she pulled out some worn leaves tied together with an old piece of vine. She undid the vine and unwrapped the leaves to reveal a small doll made of straw, twigs, and stone tied together. Its face was painted and beared the appearance of a meerkat pup. She sighed deeply, almost shuddering as she held it against her chest and began to remember the last time she held a doll identical to this one.

_6 years ago..._

The sun had begun to set. A group of male meerkats walked towards their tunnels with their heads hung low. One's head hung lower than the others'. The rest of the group pat that meerkat on the back as they walked past him and dropped into the tunnel entrance. The sentry dropped down from the nearby rock and walked over towards the last meerkat.

Buzz heard the sentry walking towards him, so he lifted his head up and ran over to him. "_Well?_"

The sentry, Pete, sadly shook his head. "No luck. We didn't find him either." Buzz sighed and put a paw over his eyes. Pete put a paw on his shoulder. "I'm sorry, Buzz. But that's nature's design."

Buzz shook his head and took Pete's paw off his shoulder. "No, that was _my_ decision to leave Timon and Titus unsupervised. That Martial eagle that swooped down on us probably grabbed him." Buzz sighed again and ran a paw through his hair. "I didn't want him to lose his life three weeks after he started it."

"Come _on,_ Buzz. We didn't find him today, but that doesn't mean he isn't still alive. We don't know for sure that the eagle got him."

"I'm not going to let my hopes up. We were born meerkats, born to be food for other animals. I was just hoping _I_ would go before my own son." With that, Buzz dropped down into the tunnel.

Panya sat in her nest, setting three-week-old Timon down with a doll and covered him with a leaf. She held a second doll in her paws and looked down at it. She heard some footsteps approaching and she looked up. Her heart sank when Buzz approached her with a look of defeat and empty paws. He didn't say anything... he didn't have to. She knew he didn't find their son. She looked away from him and down at the doll in her paws as she softly began to cry. Buzz sat down next to her and pulled her into his arms, trying to comfort her.

A louder cry was heard from within the nest. Both parents turned to see Timon had kicked the leaf off and had started crying. Buzz leaned over and picked him up. "I guess he thought since _you_ were crying..." Buzz half shrugged. He held Timon for a moment until the pup became quiet. "What are we going to tell him when he grows up?"

"Wait for him to ask," Panya softly said with a sniffle.

"_What?_"

Panya wiped her eyes. "I lost a son today and I don't want to relive it by telling it to him. But if he remembers being with Titus, we'll tell him."

"Panya, he's just a pup. He doesn't know something bad happened."

"That'll make one of us happy then. _Look_ at him, Buzz." They both looked at Timon, who had fallen asleep in Buzz's arms. "So unaware, so innocent. I don't want to see him anything other than that. I just want him to be happy." She looked at the doll in her paws and let out a shuddering sigh. "If he doesn't remember having a brother, then he's none the wiser."

"He'll _be_ wiser when he gets older. He'll be aware of other emotions, so he won't always be happy."

Panya took Timon from Buzz and handed him the doll she was holding. "Maybe not, but he won't be sad about Titus if he doesn't know about him. Start by keeping _this_ away from him."

Buzz looked at the doll he was given. "This isn't the answer."

Panya looked away from him as her voice started to tremble. "_I _don't want to see it anymore... please, find a place for it, where I'll never find it." Buzz lowered his eyes as he rose from the nest with the doll and walked away. Timon began to cry again as Panya held him close to her. She looked down at her son and smiled weakly. "Don't cry, Timmy. I'm here... I'm here..."

Buzz climbed out of the tunnel and walked over to the tall grass, the last place where both of his sons were together. He knelt down to the ground, where he saw small meerkat pup prints in the dirt. He put the doll aside as he dug a small hole where the prints were. He put the doll inside the hole and then covered the hole with dirt. He pat the top and sighed as a tear ran down his cheek. "Good-bye, Titus. We'll keep you in our hearts until we meet again."

Buzz turned away from the small dirt pile and walked back towards the tunnel.

_Present..._

Ma softly cried as she held the small doll against her chest. She sniffled and slightly jumped when she felt a paw on her shoulder.

"I, uh, didn't know you still played with dolls," Shomari grinned slightly.

"This was Timon's favorite doll when he was a pup. He called it Binkie," Ma said softly.

Shomari nodded, "Ahh, so _this_ is the infamous Binkie. Cute."

"Buzz made it... he made one for Titus, too." She clutched the doll tighter. "The day Titus die--ahem, _disappeared,_ I had Buzz take his doll and put it somewhere where I'd never find it. To this day I don't know where he put it."

"Why did you do that?"

"It hurt too much to look at it," Ma whispered. "And now..."

Shomari shook his head and sat down next to her. "Who knows? Our grandson may actually pull through and deliver. With your son's history of unbelievable events, he may take after his father enough to actually find your long lost son." Shomari nodded up towards the sky. "Their guardian angel will point the way."

Ma sighed and shifted closer to Shomari. She looked up at the sky through the leaves in the trees. "I hope you're right. I hope you are keeping watch on all of them, Buzz." She closed her eyes as she felt the wind brush against them.

"See? He knows."

Ma smiled slightly. "He almost always _did_ know."

_To be continued..._


	26. Getting Along?

Sheesh, that glitch in the FF.N system was a real pain. Last time I checked it _still_ said I had 24 chapters on the main page and the latest reviews haven't shown up on the page. Anyway, wanted to confirm a few things about Chapter 16. It was _not_ Rafiki who saved Kito from the animal chasing him. It was the _Nunda,_ the thing with the big bellowing roar. Also, I never said what kind of voice the animal had. No mention of "gruff" in that chapter. Sorry, JLASnoopy1. And Sly was the figure approaching Kito when he passed out. We clear? If not, all the other questions will be made clear in future chapters. Now get to reading!

Chapter 26:

Timon walked outside of the caves, tossing a pebble up into the air and catching it several times. He was mumbling various unintelligible things as he tossed the stone across the dirt and turned away. He sat down on a larger rock, hiked his knee up, and rested an arm on it. He heard a clinking noise and felt something bump into the rock he was sitting on. He looked and saw an empty snail shell spinning in place. He looked up when he heard some fast approaching footsteps and screamed, covering his head.

Morake growled and pounced on the snail shell, missing Timon by mere inches. He batted the shell between his paws a few times and tossed it into the air, catching it between both of his paws. He dropped it back on the ground and batted it away from Timon, chasing after it.

Pumbaa trotted up to Timon, who still had his head covered. He poked him. "It's OK, Timon. Morake's just playing."

Timon uncovered his head and watched as Morake batted the snail shell around. "Yeah, with his food," he said dryly. He blew some air out his mouth. "Where are Jina and Bango?"

"They went to the Pride Lands to look for other meerkat colonies because we couldn't find any out here... you know, just in case Titus wasn't in this colony. Is he?"

Timon scoffed, "No one here goes by the name Titus. Then we figured he was probably named something other than his real name, so I asked around and no one _here_ has picked up a stray pup 6 years ago."

"Well, we figured Titus was probably walking through the Outlands when Rafiki did his spell because we couldn't find any other colonies," Pumbaa said as he sat down next to Timon.

"Did you look everywhere?"

"Well, no. There are scary places around here... like that green place with the geysers and marching hyenas." He looked around the area briefly and cleared his throat. "Not to mention I didn't want to stay out there knowing that creature is somewhere nearby."

Timon sighed and rested his chin in his paw. "Just as well. We don't know what name Titus is answering to now anyway."

"Yup."

"So why'd you get stuck with the miniature claws and fangs over there?" Timon pointed his thumb over at Morake, who was far enough away not to hear. Even if he was close enough, he wouldn't be listening. He was having too much fun playing with the snail shell. "Jina didn't want him following her?"

"Uh, no, actually. You remember I told you my family was killed by a band of cheetah brothers when I was young, so I'm trying to remember not _all_ members of the same species are the same. I know he's just a cub, but--"

"Pumbaa, he's not much different than Simba." Timon blinked, "Wait, Simba ran away from his family. Are you sure this cub doesn't have a home to go to?"

"Bango told us Morake's mother died in her sleep a few weeks ago. He didn't learn how to hunt, so he had to eat grass and fruit until Kito and Bango showed him how to catch bugs."

"Good. Then maybe the kids won't ask us to keep him."

Pumbaa didn't respond to that. He tried thinking of something else to say. "Anyway, Jina explained what that hugging thing was about. I'm guessing you already know." He paused when he heard Timon growl. "I'll take that as a yes." Pumbaa nervously smiled, "So, how are things holding up?"

"Oh, things are just fine for _some_ people I'm associated with, but I have been better." Timon looked over at the caves and growled. "I mean, of _all_ the colonies in _all_ of lands in _all_ the world, Zuri's Sly had to be in _this_ one. Why couldn't Zuri just wait for us to come home instead of coming here and reuniting with her ex?"

"If she hadn't come, you'd still be accusing him of kidnapping our sons."

Timon crossed his legs and folded his arms in front of his chest. "So? Maybe I _liked_ accusing him. It'd give me another excuse to tackle him... even if he did save Kito from that _Nunda_ thing."

Pumbaa furrowed his brow. "Timon, I'm surprised at you. You're suppose to be grateful and find a way to make it up to Sly for saving your son. At _least_ try to get along with him."

"I would if he wasn't Zuri's old boyfriend. And Zuri's getting _way_ too friendly with him," Timon growled.

"Maybe she's testing you, seeing how trusting you are."

Timon stood and pulled Pumbaa's face down to his level, staring at the warthog right in the face. "Oh, I trust her; it's Sylvester I _don't_ trust."

"Sylvester? I thought we were talking about Sly."

"We are. Sly is short for Sylvester." Timon leaned his weight on the front of the warthog's snout. "I don't know, Pumbaa. I trust Zuri, but she's gotten so wrapped up with that guy I think she even forgot she needed to talk to me about the 'L' word."

Pumbaa tilted his head slightly. "I'm sure she remembers, but she probably wants to spend as much time getting reacquainted with Sly as she can before we find Titus and leave. Unless she asks him to come back with us, she doesn't want to waste the time we're spending here by talking to you."

Timon growled and climbed onto Pumbaa's snout, approaching his eyes. "She had **_better not_** ask him to come back with us! And if she thinks spending more time with that **_jerk_** is more important than talking to me about love, then--!" He gasped, slapping a paw over his mouth. He removed it slowly. "Pumbaa, correct me if I'm wrong, but--"

"Did you just say love without stumbling again?" Pumbaa finished his friend's sentence for him. "I'm very sure I heard you say it."

Timon rubbed his chin for a moment, and then cleared his throat. "La--luh--li--" Timon coughed and smacked himself in the forehead. "_D'oh!_"

Pumbaa grimaced and shook his head. "You weren't thinking about saying it when you said it, were you?"

"Actually... I was." He sat down on Pumbaa's snout. "Maybe now I can only say it when I'm mad."

"I think it's because you think that your relationship is in jeopardy and your brain's allowing that word to escape your lips un-stuttered. You must be jealous of Sly getting Zuri's attention."

Timon pouted his lips for a moment and dropped down from Pumbaa's snout. "Pumbaa, I've got something very important to tell you. I need to know you're paying attention, OK?"

Pumbaa lowered his head down to his level. "I'm listening."

"Good. Come here." Timon wiggled his finger, signaling Pumbaa to lower his ear to Timon. Timon took hold of one ear, cleared his throat, and then shouted into it, "**_I DON'T GET JEALOUS!_**"

Pumbaa winced and pulled his head away from Timon, rubbing his ear. "My... mistake."

"He has his fiance, Zuri has me. I'm closer to saying the 'L' word without trouble, so everything will be fine as soon as we find Titus and get back to the oasis."

"But how are we going to find Titus when he probably doesn't even know that's his real name?"

"The same way Kito and Bango found out he was alive: we'll go to Rafiki." He climbed up onto Pumbaa's back. "I've got a closer blood match than Kito, so it may be more accurate at pinpointing his exact location. And besides, this'll give me an excuse _not_ to try getting along with Sly."

Pumbaa grimaced and rolled his eyes. "Whatever you say, Timon." He walked over to Morake, who was still playing with the snail shell. He put a hoof over the shell, getting the cheetah's attention. "Morake, keep an eye on things. We'll be back later."

Morake swished his tail from side to side and blinked. "You just got here. Where are you going?"

"Hopefully we're going to find the _real_ location of my brother," Timon said as he pulled on Pumbaa's ears. Pumbaa kicked the shell for Morake to chase as he ran back towards the Pride Lands.

Morake watched after them with a confused expression. "_Real_ location? But..." His expression changed to a sad one. "Rafiki's _never_ wrong. Mom said so. Titus is here in _this_ colony... isn't he? Mom was right... _wasn't she?_" He looked at the shell that Pumbaa had tossed for him to chase, and he just walked by it, suddenly not in the playing mood.

_To be continued..._


	27. Girl Talk

Back again, and I see you are, too. Yay! For a while I wasn't sure what I wanted to do for this chapter, so I decided to try a little scene with Zuri and Yasmin. Threw it together a bit :grin: _out of the blue,_ but I think it'll work. Song in the background near the end is a reprise, which is why it's short, and I changed the lyrics slightly to change it to a solo instead of a duet. Song by Elton John and Tim Rice... gotta love those guys, neh? Enjoy! UPDATE: Had to remove the lyrics. 

Chapter 27:

Yasmin hummed to herself as she walked through the tunnel with Kito right behind her. "This is a pretty cool place, Ms. Yasmin. I'm really starting to like caves now," Kito said as he looked around.

"_Ms._ Yasmin," Yasmin mumbled to herself with amusement as she walked over towards a nest. She reached into the nest and pulled out a flower and put it in her hair. "No need to be formal. You can just call me Yasmin, sweetheart."

Kito shrugged, "OK, Yasmin Sweetheart." Yasmin laughed as Kito walked over to the nest and looked in. "Wow, you've got a lot of flowers. I didn't think they grew out here."

"They don't. Just because we live out here doesn't mean we can't go over to the Pride Lands and gather other things. Even _we_ get tired of termites three times a day. Before your parents came I went over there and picked these this morning." She patted the flower in her hair with a smile.

"Girl stuff... _yuck._"

Yasmin picked a few more flowers from the nest and inhaled them deeply. "You know, Kito, one day you'll like girls and girl stuff."

"But not today."

Yasmin chuckled as she sat down in the nest with the flowers and started twisting the ends together. "You're young, so you don't understand a lot of things yet. In life, you'll have to make a lot of decisions of what you want in life and what you have to do with it. You know like fitness, health,manners, diet..." She exhaled. "And other pointless forms of sacrifice."

"Yeah, but that's only when you're older, right?" Kito asked as he sat down next to her, watching her twist the flowers together.

"Whenever _you_ think you're old enough to make those decisions. You're only three months old right now, so you have time to decide what you want to do. _I_ never really had a choice."

"Why not?"

"My father is head of this colony, and he expects me and Sly to take over when he dies. But I don't know anything about running a whole colony. I care more about my appearance than anything else." Yasmin looked at the ring of flowers she was creating, and added a few more to it. "I guess if needed I could ask Sengbe for advice. He'll be our adviser when Father dies and Sly and I will be married."

"So you're going to let someone _else_ run things while you just stand there looking pretty and wearing pretty flowers?" Kito blinked.

Yasmin softly smiled. "It's about the only thing keeping me smiling these days." She looked at the ring of flowers she strung together and pulled it onto her wrist, admiring her work.

"But does it really work?" Kito and Yasmin turned to see Zuri walk over to the two. "I'm sorry to intrude."

Yasmin cleared her throat as Kito hopped to his feet and over to his mother. "No, that's all right. I was just finding someone to consol in," Yasmin said with a cough.

"Apparently age isn't an issue?" Yasmin grimaced. Zuri cleared her throat and looked down at Kito. "Go find your Uncle Sudi and stay him for a while, OK, sweetie?"

"Yeah, sure, Mom. You just want me to leave so you two can have a privategirl talk. I would've lefteven if I wasn't asked.Bye, Yasmin," Kito said, waving as he walked away.

Yasmin gathered some more flowers into her lap and started to twist the ends together. "So to what do I owe the _**honor**_ of your company?" she asked with a slight growl.

Zuri twitched her nose, a little offended by Yasmin's attitude. "I hope you're only like this to Sly's old girlfriends and not _all_ of your cave guests."

"He's had more than _one?_"

Zuri rolled her eyes and stepped in front of Yasmin. "Look, Yasmin, I'm not here to make Sly my boyfriend again, so would you stop giving me the cold shoulder?"

Yasmin snorted softly as she held her latest flower ring up to survey her work. "Maybe _you're_ not, but _Sly_ seems to be. He keeps having old dreams about the day he left your colony."

Zuri's expression softened slightly for a moment, and then returned to the previous one. "Well, now he knows I've moved on and he should as well." She folded her arms in front of her chest. "The soon-to-be leader of this whole colony... how did a rogue come this far in three years?"

A moment of silence, and then Yasmin finally looked away from her project and up at Zuri. "You want the truth, Zuri?"

"I think I deserve it. I never thought I'd see Sly again and I always wondered what had become of him. I want to know how he and his father came to this."

Yasmin picked up a few more flowers from her nest and twisted them into the ring of flowers. "I was the correct age to decide a mate, but none of the original mob members caught my fancy. My father, in slightly better health and tired of waiting, was almost ready to pick one for me. Then the sentries announced two rogue meerkats approaching and we had to meet with them. They introduced themselves and told their story about why they left the previous colony." She laid the flowers in her lap as she smiled, recalling. "Sly was so handsome, so... different. That's what first attracted me to him... he was a rogue and that seemed really... _dangerous._ My father took notice of this."

"So he allowed you to pick a rogue to marry?"

"Like I said, he was tired of waiting. Besides, I was a little spoiled at the time, and if I got stuck with someone I wasn't interested in, I'd hound him for the rest of his life."

"That bad, huh?" Zuri grinned."Whatever Yasmin wants, Yasmin gets?"

"No comment. Anyway, he was only willing to take Sly in, so Sengbe was about to pullhim away and find another colony. But my father was willing to make a deal, and Sengbe demanded this: Sengbe would allow Sly to marry me if my father would take Sengbe into the colony and make him his right-hand meerkat. Father agreed."

"So how did Sly feel about this?"

Yasmin had finished her second flower ring and laid it on her lap. "He felt like a bargaining chip; that the only reason they had a piece of ground over their heads is because I had a love-a-first-sight crush on him, that they hadn't _earned_ the place in the colony. For the first week he didn't speak to anyone, not even to Sengbe. I guess he was still hung up on you." Yasmin growled softly. "Even now he _still_ is."

Zuri blew some air out of her mouth. "Look, Yasmin, he told me himself he's not going to leave this colony, so would you stop acting like you're acting now and treat me a little _nicer_?"

Yasmin arched a brow. "Are you telling the truth?"

"You want me to grab Sly so he can tell you in his own words? _Yes,_ I'm telling the truth! I just want to make peace with you, for crying out loud." Yasmin looked down at the flowers in her lap and sighed. Zuri blinked when she noticed the flowers were suddenly getting wet. She knelt down to Yasmin to see tears rolling down and falling from her cheeks. "I, uh... I didn't mean crying_ literally._"

Yasmin sniffed and wiped her eyes. "I know you didn't, Zuri. I'm just concerned about my father, you know? He's in such poor health now."

Zuri nodded solemnly. "Sly's mentioned that. I'm sorry."

"I don't know how to take care of a colony... I only know how to look pretty," Yasmin said as she held the newest flower ring in her paws.

Zuri eyed the flowers. "You're using flower fashion to mask your insecurities. Flowers, after they're picked, only stay pretty for a few days before they start to wilt. How long before everyone else notices?" Yasmin looked away from her. Zuri noticed a closed flower on Yasmin's lap and picked it up. "You kind of remind me of a flower bud: closed to society, unwilling to open up and change. But one day it'll blossom, and I think the same will happen to you when you take charge with Sly. After all, you _are_ named after a flower."

Yasmin turned her eyes back to Zuri. "You think so?"

Zuri smiled as she stood. "I really do." She cleared her throat again. "So, uh... would you take offense if I asked Sly to come back with us for a few days to set things right with my father and a few other members of my colony? I-I'd feel more at ease if they made peace."

"Well... would your father be _willing_ to make peace with him?"

"I've got a gut feeling he would."

"Well... just a few days?" Zuri nodded. "I guess I could handle a few days without him... as long as you leave after you find this Titus."

"Shouldn't take us long to find him, I promise." Zuri exhaled and turned to leave. "I guess I'll make sure Kito found my brother."

Yasmin looked at the flower ring in her paws for a moment. "Hold on a moment." Zuri turned back to her. Yasmin grabbed her paw and put the flower ring in it. "I don't really need this, so if you can find something to do with it..."

Zuri sniffed the flowers and smiled. "I'll find something to do with it. See you around, I guess." She walked away.

Yasmin watched Zuri turn the corner, and then she laid back into her nest, deep in thought. "I guess it's better to leave an impression if I didn't make it about fashion." She eyed the flower bracelet she made for herself and smiled for a moment, and then sighed as she rested her paws behind her head. "I guess one day I will blossom, and one day I'll find the courage to grow up." She exhaled through her nose as she closed her eyes and settled down for an afternoon nap.

_To be continued..._


	28. Who Sent Agents?

OK, time for me to do something I haven't done for a while. Y'all asked, and ye shall receive... the lions are _finally_ in this fic! Though how long this chapter is depends on what I come up with. Don't worry, though. This won't be the only chapter with lions in it. Also, I'm sorry if at any time the lions seem out of character... it's been a while since I've watched the first two movies all the way through. I just hope I'll make it better in future chapters when I bring 'em back. Oh, and congrats to SunRise19 for being the 100th reviewer! ::waves flags and banners:: 

Chapter 28:

The sun was about ready to set when Rafiki ascended to Pride Rock. Many of the lions were turning to walk into the cave when a figure rising to their level had appeared.

"It's Rafiki," a few lionesses whispered to themselves.

Nala approached the baboon first, who bowed to her and she responded to it with a nod. "Is something the matter?"

"Yes," Rafiki said with a sigh as he squatted down on solid rock. "I have been walking all day and my feet are killing me!" He said with a smile, "But enough about this old baboon. I must speak with Simba."

"I'll get him, Nala," Vitani said as she turned into the cave. She returned with Simba a moment later. Rafiki did a courtesy bow as Simba approached him. Simba nodded to him.

"Not that I'm unhappy to see you, Rafiki, but why have you come?" Simba asked as he sat down in front of Rafiki.

"One part of mystery is solved. I have determined that the strange roar we hear everyday and night has been coming from the Outlands," Rafiki said, holding his staff out in front of him.

Vitani stepped up behind Simba. "The Outlands? We've never heard that roar before we left and it just _appears_ eight months later? What could it be?"

"We're about to find out," Simba said with a growl as he stood and prepared to descend Pride Rock. He stopped when Rafiki suddenly appeared in front of him.

"Now, now, the creature hasn't caused any trouble here besides singing its song a few times a day and waking the neighbors. It should not be cause for alarm, Simba. Besides, larger animals such as yourself may make it hostile."

"But how long until it comes_ here?_ The only reason we never went out searching for it is because we never knew which direction it was coming from or had reports of any larger animals missing."

"You have smaller agents in the Outlands who may be able to answer these questions we all have been asking. Have faith in them as you always have."

Vitani stepped up next to Simba. "Smaller agents?"

"But I never sent anyone," Simba said with an arched brow.

"No, _you_ did not send them, Simba, but someone _else_ did."

Simba turned to Nala. "Did you, Nala?" Nala shook her head.

Rafiki leaned his weight on his staff. "Rafiki will make this a little easier for you. A lion did not send agents, but rather one of the Great Kings of the Past did." He opened his arms outwardly as he looked up to the heavens, where the stars had begun to come out. "Or should I say, one of their _servants_ has sent agents?"

"Stop talking in riddles, old man. Who are our agents?" Vitani asked, a little impatient.

Rafiki pressed the end of his staff against Vitani's nose. "You want Rafiki to tell you straight out, Vitani? Fine." He pulled his staff back and leaned against it again. "They themselves do not know it, but Timon and Pumbaa are the agents who will uncover the great mystery of the Outlands."

"Timon and Pumbaa are here?" Simba asked, a bit surprised.

"And their mates and sons."

"Timon and Pumbaa... oh, _yeah,_ the meerkat and warthog who raised you. I'm surprised they didn't drop by to visit yet," Vitani said to Simba.

"Their sons Kito and Bango came to me without their fathers knowing to uncover a family mystery," Rafiki explained.

"A family mystery?" Nala stepped up.

"Kito and Bango came to me so I could determine if Timon's lost brother was still among the living. Titus is alive and he is somewhere in the Outlands with a meerkat colony and, without a doubt, under a new name." The wind brushed past them for a moment, rattling the fruit on Rafiki's staff. "I would tell Timon myself who his brother is, but that is no place for Rafiki to tell. If he does not figure it out himself, then one of his parents would. His mother is not here in the Pride Lands to tell him herself."

"And his father has been dead for nearly six years," Simba said.

Rafiki nodded. "This is true, but despite having no _physical_ form, Fearless Buzz has been helping his sons and grandson along the way. Soon the truth will be revealed to them all."

"OK, enough about the meerkat's lost brother.That's not what you came here to talk to us about, Rafiki," Vitani spoke up.

"You are correct."

"Simba, can we _really_ trust those two to discover what animal is making that noise everyday?"

"Well, they _have_ been known to do unbelievable things before when they're together," Simba said as he looked out towards the Outlands. "But if this creature is too much for them to handle..."

"We have not heard its call since late morning. They may have already discovered what it is, put a stop to it, and are now focusing on Titus," Rafiki said. He paused for a moment as he listened to the sound the fruit on his staff made as they clinked together in the wind. He then stroked his beard. "Hmm... I suppose not. Wind spirit of Fearless Buzz says they are no longer in the Outlands."

"So where are they now?" Nala asked.

Rafiki listened to the fruit clink a bit more. "Hmm... you don't say." Rafiki frowned and furrowed his brow. "_Stubborn_ boy, that first son of Fearless Buzz. He should realize his brother is in _that_ colony! It's the _**only**_ colony in the Outlands! Does Rafiki have to knock some sense into his very small but very _**thick**_ skull?"

"_What?_"

Rafiki turned to the lions. "Timon and Pumbaa left the Outlands to try and go meet with me so I would determine Titus's 'true' location, only I am not there to tell them differently. Rafiki is never wrong on these matters!" He leaned his weight on his staff again. "As much as I do not want to I may have to end up directly telling the brothers myself after all." His attention turned back to the clinking fruits attached to his staff as the wind intensified. "_Hmm?_ What is that?" He listened to the clinking as the lions looked at each other, a bit confused. "I don't see _how_ I will be able to get him there, but--" The clinking continued. Rafiki nodded. "Very well then." And then the wind died down.

"I never knew he talks to _fruit,_" Vitani said dryly. She gasped and ducked as Rafiki's staff went to clock her on the head.

"The spirits lack actual speaking voice 99 percent of the time, so I have to listen _carefully_ to what they can take form of. In this case, the spirit uses wind to communicate with clinking fruit. But sometimes an actual voice _can_ be heard," Rafiki said, waving the end of his staff at Vitani.

"So what are you going to do?" Simba asked.

"I have made plans to meet with someone, so I must be going. You rest, for you never know when you may need to help Timon and Pumbaa with their quest."

"But--"

Rafiki put a paw on Simba's shoulder. "Simba, have faith in your friends as you always have." With that Rafiki turned and ran down Pride Rock. He ran out into the distance as the sun completely set.

Simba exhaled as he turned to head into the cave. "We will do as he suggests... _for now._ Everyone, go inside and rest. We may need it sooner than we think."

_To be continued..._


	29. Thinking

Another two chapters to be added that were originally one but decided they were too long and/or didn't fit together naturally as one. Better this way, I promise. More drama in the next chapter. It'll be up soon! 

Chapter 29:

The meerkats of the Outlands were gathering into the cave for a night's rest. Morake was lying next to the cave with his chin on top of his paws. He yawned and smacked his lips as he began to close his eyes. He opened his eyes and raised his head when he heard some footsteps coming towards him.

"Hey, Morake!" Bango cheerfully said as he trotted over to him. His mother Jina padded right behind him. "What's been going on here?"

"We've been allowed to stay for the night at least, otherwise no one told me what's going on inside. But I do know your dad and uncle left to find Rafiki," Morake said with a slight mumble.

"Huh? Why?"

Morake rested his chin on his paws with a sigh, "I guess Mr. Timon thinks Rafiki goofed on the location spell. He doesn't think Titus is in this colony." He looked up at Bango and Jina. "Rafiki doesn't goof, does he?"

Jina grimaced slightly, "Well, no one's perfect, and we haven't found any other meerkat colonies out here."

"Mom said Rafiki was _never_ wrong. What am I suppose to believe if what Mom told me wasn't true?" Morake sniffled.

"Like I said, Morake," Jina said as she gave Morake a gentle nudge, "no one's perfect. Everyone makes mistakes, even mothers and mystic shamans." She smiled, "And besides, we haven't looked _everywhere_ in the Outlands yet."

Morake exhaled and closed his eyes. "I guess not."

Bango looked at his mother for a moment, and then to Morake. He looked back at her, "Mom, can I--?" Before he could get the full question out he found her nodding. Bango smiled and laid down next to Morake, who immediately scooted closer to Bango and started to purr.

Jina softly sighed as she found herself a place to lie down outside of the cave. She looked upward at the stars. _How are we suppose to know who Titus is? None of us have ever met him before... _have_ we?_ She shook her head and laid her head down, closing her eyes.

_Inside the cave..._

Zuri laid in a nest with her eyes closed, trying to sleep. Unsuccessful, she sighed, opened her eyes, and sat up in the nest. She looked at Kito, who was sleeping next to her, quite peacefully. _It's no use. I can't sleep in a nest this empty. Where did Timon go off to anyway? I haven't seen him since brunch._ She rubbed her eyes, catching a brief whiff of the flower bracelet she was wearing. She looked at it for a moment and smiled softly. A small clump of dirt landing on her head brought her back from her thoughts.

She sputtered and dusted the clump out of her hair, growling. She looked upward to see feet climbing over the edge of the skylight directly above her. With a snort she rose from her nest, careful not to wake Kito, and climbed onto a rock. Once on top she jumped over to the nearby root hanging below the skylight and began to climb up. When she reached the top she exhaled and growled at the meerkat sitting with his back to her. "You have **_no_** consideration to a girl trying to catch up on her sleep!"

The meerkat turned to look at her and grinned, "It's not _my_ fault you made a nest under the skylight, Zuri."

Zuri blushed slightly when she realized the meerkat was Sly. She lifted herself up and sat down next to him. "No, I guess not. So what are _you_ doing up here all by yourself?"

Sly sighed as he rubbed his eyes. "I'd _like_ to say it's insomnia, but it's not. I haven't really been able to sleep lately. Too many dreams I don't like or I don't understand. I come up here to try to understand them..." He shook his head. "But I haven't come to a conclusion yet."

Zuri rubbed a flower petal from her bracelet between her fingers for a moment. "I'm sorry. I'm sure my coming here made things a lot more complicated for you."

"Maybe, maybe not." Sly looked up at the stars. "Someone told me once that dreams can be a window into the future. I kept having dreams about you... and you came."

Zuri sighed and scooted closer to him. "But I didn't _know_ you were here. If Kito hadn't left like that..."

"We'd still be wondering whatever happened to each other, wouldn't we?"

A moment of silence. Zuri tapped her fingers on her knee, trying to make conversation. "I heard dreams can also be forgotten memories trying to resurface. So... what _else_ have you been dreaming about?"

Sly turned his eyes to look at her. "You wanna know?"

"If they're not all about me, I could help you think."

"All right..."

_To be continued..._


	30. A Replacement Sly

_Finally_ a chapter I've been dying to work on! _Whee!_ And I know Sudi will seem a little evil in the chapter, but as he'll say later he's only looking for the best for his sister, and he thinks Timon isn't. Here, catch. :tosses out tissues: Why? You know, just in case... I've been told I haven't lost my touch to write tearjerkers. :wink: OK, read on! UPDATE: Removed lyrics. 

Chapter 30:

Not much time had passed since Zuri and Sly had begun their talk when Timon and Pumbaa returned to the Outlands after a disappointing trip. Timon was draped on top of Pumbaa's head as Pumbaa walked towards the Outlands meerkats' cave. "I can't believe... the monkey was not..._ in the tree,_" he mumbled.

Pumbaa furrowed his brow and glanced up at Timon. "Timon, you've been saying that ever since we walked away from Rafiki's tree. If you say it one more time I'll teach Morake how to hunt you."

Timon gulped and leaned forward, giving the warthog an upside-down view of his worried face. "You wouldn't _really_ do that, would you?"

"I might, because it's been getting on my nerves." He stopped at the entrance of the cave, tilting his head and forcing Timon off.

"Well, we spent almost the whole day traveling, and when you go that far you _expect_ to get what you came for." Timon paced in front of Pumbaa. "I just want to know who and where my brother is so we can pack up and have a nice family reunion at the oasis!"

"And so you can get Zuri away from Sly?" Pumbaa asked dryly as he watched Timon pace.

"_**Especially**_ getting Zuri away from Sly!"

Pumbaa grinned, "Why? I thought you trust Zuri and you weren't jealous of Sly getting her attention."

Timon stopped pacing, jumped up to pull Pumbaa down to his level, and said through tightly clenched teeth, "**I... do... and... I'm... not!**" He pushed Pumbaa's face away and said in a normal voice, "And I'll prove it. I'm gonna go clear things up with her right now and..." He sighed deeply. "_Attempt_ to get along with Sylvester."

Pumbaa smiled as he turned and walked away. "I think she'd like that very much, Timon. Good night."

Timon waved and watched as Pumbaa disappeared around the side of the cave. He nodded to himself, "Yeah, I think I'll find Zuri first. I mean, talking to her is more important than getting along with Sly, _right?_"

"That's a matter of opinion," a voice from behind Timon said.

Timon yelped and spun around with his paws up in a defensive position. He blinked, and then furrowed his brow when he realized it was Sudi. "What are you getting at, Sudi?"

Sudi shrugged, "Well, Timon, if you _really_ cared for my sister you'd try making peace with Sly your top priority. I mean, you've only known him for a day. How do you know if you like him or hate him?"

Timon snorted and folded his arms in front of his chest. "Old boyfriend meets new boyfriend. What do you think?"

"Honestly?" Sudi paused to think a moment, trying to get the right wording out. "I think to Zuri... you're just a replacement Sly." _Pow!_ In a flash he grunted and landed on his back. Sudi sat up and rubbed his jaw as Timon rubbed his fist.

"Take... that... back," Timon growled through clenched teeth and a crack of his knuckles.

With a crack Sudi's jaw was back into its correct position. "You _asked_ me what I thought."

Timon picked his brother-in-law up by the front of his chest fur. "About why I don't like Sly, _not_ about what Zuri thinks of me."

"Then be more specific next time."

Timon sneered slightly. "While I'm thinking about it, Sudi..."

"Yes?"

"Zuri and the rest of your colony's accepted me... why haven't you!"

"Because unlike the others, as much as I've tried _I_ can't forget the old history lessons, and I haven't given in to your bribes."

"What bribes?" Timon sneered.

"Oh, _please._ The only reason my colony even likes you, _Great _Timon, is because of the paradise you provided them... even your _own_ colony feels that way."

Timon clenched his eyes tightly shut and turned his face away from Sudi. "No, that's not true! I'm _not_ the same screw-up I was when I left four years ago!"

"Are you sure about that?" Sudi asked with an arched brow, in a sarcastic manner.

"Well... even if it _is_ true, Zuri doesn't feel that way! She loves me!" He realized he said it, but he didn't care at that moment. He still believed he could only say it when he was angry... and he was. Very.

"You sure about that? She asked to stay here where her old boyfriend is and I don't think she's even noticed you left. For all she knows you've been out here all day pouting about her spending time with Sly instead of you." Sudi cleared his throat as he pried Timon's paws from his chest. "And on top of all that, she's not even _sure_ if you really love her."

"_What?_ Of _**course**_ she knows I love her!"

"From what I've overheard... you've never said it to her face."

"Well, then I'm gonna _tell_ her now while I'm good and angry! Would _that_ make you happy?"

Sudi pouted his lips a moment, thinking. "Tell me how it turns out. Then I'll be satisfied." Timon snorted and then marched past Sudi towards the cave. "_Oh,_ but if I might offer a suggestion in case it's not what you think..." Timon stopped and glanced over his shoulder. "To avoid confrontation with Sly and the rest of the colony, thus giving you many broken bones or worse... if you _really_ love her, you'll let her go."

"You'd _love_ to see that happen, wouldn't you?" Timon sneered, cracking the rest of his knuckles.

Sudi held his paws up and half-shrugged. "Hey, I only want the best for my sister. Sly won her affections by being himself, not with things and stories."

Timon growled and walked inside the cave. He noticed there were too many nests to look through, and he may actually begin to cool off before he actually finds her. _A higher view might be able to help. _He climbed onto a rock and jumped onto the root Zuri climbed up earlier. He climbed up a bit until he could see the sleeping meerkats in the nests. No sign of Zuri.

Some conversation from above caught his attention. "... So you don't really love her?" Zuri's voice asked. Timon climbed up the root further to listen and to watch. He stayed enough in the shadows that they couldn't see him but he could see them.

"I love her, but not in the way _she_ wants me to love her. I would've left if it was just me, but Pop..."

"He couldn't travel that much. I know, I remember how he was. Better for him to stay in one spot at a time. And besides that, I'm guessing since your litter siblings died he wanted to make sure you lived to a ripe old age."

"Basically. And he thought if I stayed I could grow to _love_-love Yasmin. But it's three years later and I don't feel any different towards her."

"So why are you marrying her? Not so your father can finally have some kind of authority?"

"No, more of a sense of duty, I guess... in attempt to move on, like _you_ obviously have."

Zuri exhaled and put a paw on Sly's back. "In a sense I have." Timon noticed the flower bracelet on her wrist. _He gave her flowers?_

"What do you mean?" Sly looked right at her.

"Timon reminded me so much of you... that's what first attracted me to him."

Timon furrowed his brow in thought. _A replacement Sly..._

"... But he has his own traits that separates him from you."

Timon's eyes widened slightly and he put a free paw to his ear.

"Such as?"

_That's it, tell me how I'm better than him, baby!_

"He's a little childish and lazy sometimes, but he taught me how to have fun."

"_I_ would've taught you if fun wasn't a four-letter word back then," Sly growled, folding his arms in front of his chest.

_Four letter word? How _do_ they spell it in that colony? _Timon blinked.

"I know you would've, but you still made me laugh." Timon growled. Thankfully neither Zuri nor Sly heard it. "The only other thing I can think of that separates the two of you is... well..." Zuri hesitated.

"Go on."

"He... he never told me he loves me."

Timon slapped the free paw over his eyes in shame. _No, don't tell him that! Tell him something else!_

"... It's not that he doesn't_ try,_ Sly, it's just... he can't successfully. And I _need_ to hear those words coming from his mouth. I've been meaning to talk to him about it, but he keeps finding other things to occupy himself with. Granted, finding Kito _was_ important, but so's this. And I was going to sit him down and talk to him today, but he's disappeared somewhere again." Zuri sighed. "What am I suppose to do when I feel my mate and I are on the rocks anymore?"

_On the rocks? There aren't any rocks in our nest. _Timon blinked, taking another metaphor literally. _Where has _she_ been sleeping?_

"Oh, Zuri, you're not the first to have marriage trouble," Sly said as he rubbed Zuri's back. "Quit overreacting."

"I am _not_ overreacting, Sly. He hasn't even _tried_ getting along with you, even though I've asked him to. I... I'm starting to wonder if he really even _does_ love me anymore."

Timon softly gasped and clutched the fur over his heart. _Don't say that... you don't mean it, Zuri... You _can't_ mean that!_ He shook his head. _Sudi isn't be right; he _**can't be!**

"I guess he _did_ kind of leave all of a sudden today..." Sly said as he put an arm around Zuri's shoulders. "But I'm sure he was just trying to avoid me, not you."

"Well, he never expected he'd actually ever meet you, Sly. We weren't suppose to ever see each other again."

"Where does it say that? Your father's words weren't written in stone. It was probably an experiment the heavens were testing and we didn't have a say in it."

"Maybe it was... but..."

"But...?"

Zuri swallowed and said, "The experiment never changed how I felt about you... even now. I love you, Sly."

Timon shook his head. _Zuri, no,_ please...

"I love you, too."

Timon gnashed his teeth. _He can say it so_ **easily!**_ Why can't I! Don't give in to his words, Zuri,_ **please!**

"You have _no_ idea how much I've needed to hear that..." She reached over and kissed him on the cheek. He blushed slightly.

Timon swallowed. _Just the cheek... a girl can kiss a guy on the cheek and still be faithful..._

But what happened next was unexpected to all three of them. An unexplained force pulled Zuri and Sly together and closed the gap between them. Timon almost lost his grip on the root he was hanging onto, but regained it quickly. He clenched the fur over his aching heart and turned away from the sight.

_I never said the 'L' word... that's why she's gone back to him..._ He climbed down the root and dropped to the ground. He noticed Kito was asleep in the nest he landed next to. He swallowed, bent over, and kissed him on the top of the head in a fatherly manner. Kito stirred for a moment, and then rolled over onto his stomach. Timon stared up at the skylight one more time before he ran out of the cave, right past Sudi.

"Timon...?" Sudi walked a few steps towards the disappearing meerkat, blinking. "I'm... guessing things didn't go well?"

Timon didn't stop to answer. He just kept running, trying to deny and forget what he saw. Timon raced over the log that stretched over to the Pride Lands. When he dropped down from it, he stopped to pant and take a look back towards the Outlands, and the cave.

_"If you _really_ love her, you'll let her go,"_ Sudi's voice said in his head.

"Who am I kidding? Sudi's right... I'm just a Hakuna Matata bum who wasn't suppose to get the girl. She deserves the best..." A rumble of thunder was heard in the distance as Timon turned away from the Outlands and started to walk away. "And I ain't it."

Where could he go now? It's nighttime, so surely there's a predator out who'd be willing to swallow him whole.

"Predators... _carnivores..._ that's it!" He looked head and saw that Pride Rock was in the distance. It was a welcomed sight to the downhearted meerkat, so he ran to meet up with it. "Those guys like me for me... they'll cheer me up!" It was about a twenty minute run, but he made it without trouble.

He panted as he entered the cave and was about to open his mouth to announce his arrival... when he noticed no one would be awake to hear it. His heart sank a bit further as he walked further into the cave. _No one's awake to even listen to me... or offer me a shoulder to cry on. Is this what I get for not saying the 'L' word to my mate? I guess I deserve it..._

Timon approached his old friend Simba, who was asleep next to his queen Nala. The meerkat carefully squeezed under Simba's arm and pulled his upper half out to sit up and lean against the lion's mane without waking him. He used to sleep like this with Simba every night before Nala came to the oasis and took Simba away. He remembered the old days, and how they would never be the same again. He let out a shuddering sigh as he looked out towards the outside with weak eyes that began to fill with defeated tears.

Timon bowed his head and closed his eyes as he whispered, "I love you." He turned away from the outside, pulled a paw out from under Simba's arm and put it over his eyes as his shoulders began to shake. _But I wish I didn't love you so much..._ He put his second paw over his heart and clenched the fur over it. _Then I wouldn't feel this twist in my chest._

_To be continued..._


	31. What Did You Say?

_Told_ ya I still know how to write tearjerkers. I'm happy with that last chapter. From here on, I'm still having trouble deciding how I want to do things. So expect chapter delays again. Hopefully I'll come up with a great climax. Check y'all later and read on! 

Chapter 31:

Time had not pulled forward much. Timon had just run out of the cave, trying to run away from what he saw. At this time, most were unaware of what he saw. Some, for the sake of a life, for the better. Timon had not reached Pride Rock yet when Yasmin decided to pay her father Khairi a visit.

"Good evening, Father," Yasmin said as she stopped by Khairi's nest, bent over, and kissed him on the forehead.

"Hello, daughter." He tilted his head slightly as Yasmin walked over to the wall and leaned against it. Normally she would sit next to him when she would come to visit. "What troubles you, Yasmin?" Khairi asked, sitting up in his nest.

Yasmin exhaled. "A lot of things... your health, the colony, Sly..."

"Why Sylvester?"

She turned to look at him. "I'm sure Sengbe told you about Sly's old girlfriend from his former colony is staying with us." Khairi nodded. "Although she's told me she's not trying to win Sly back, I feel Sly _wants_ her to."

Khairi sneered slightly. "... Really."

"She's not all _that_ bad, Father. She helped me feel better about some things. And she said Sly said he wouldn't leave the colony to go back to hers."

"Really. So she _did_ offer him to come back?"

"Yes, and he refused. But she did ask if I would take offense to taking him back with them and settle things with Shomari for a few days. I told her as long as they left after they found this Titus, then we'd never have to see them again."

Khairi coughed for a moment, then cleared his throat. "And what did Sylvester say to that?"

Yasmin wrung her paws together awkwardly. "I don't think she's asked him yet... but she might now, because I saw her go up to the roof, and Sly's usually up there by this time of night thinking."

"... _Really._ Yasmin, be a dear and find Sengbe for me."

"What? At this time of night?"

"Do it."

_Meanwhile..._

Zuri climbed down the root hanging from the skylight and dropped down next to her nest. She noticed Kito was still asleep and exhaled as she began to climb in.

"So how'd it go?" a voice behind her asked.

Zuri looked over her shoulder to see Sudi standing behind her. "Excuse me?"

Sudi cleared his throat and pulled her outside, where they wouldn't disturb anyone's sleeping. "How did it go with Timon? I'm just trying to offer you some comfort. Is that all right?"

"_Comfort?_" Zuri wrinkled her eyebrows. "What are you talking about?"

"He went in there to see you... I assumed you two got into an argument or he got into another fight with Sly, because he took off running a few minutes ago," Sudi shrugged.

Zuri arched a brow. "You mean you've _seen_ him?"

Sudi gulped, "You mean you _haven't?_"

Zuri grabbed the front of her brother's chest fur and pulled him closer to her face. "_I_ haven't seen him for hours. Do _you_ know where he's been?"

"Easy with the fur coat; I just had it pressed." He nervously smiled when his sister shot him a death glare. "OK, OK, just get that face away from me." He cleared his throat. "The information is fairly new to me, but I asked Morake about an hour before Jina and Bango got back and he said Timon and Pumbaa left to see Rafiki to find Titus's real location."

Zuri's expression softened a bit. "Titus's _real_ location?"

"I guess they came up empty. They just got back about fifteen minutes ago, and Timon and I had a talk. One thing lead to another and then he went inside to tell you he loved you."

Zuri paused for a moment. "_What?_ You mean he could actually _say_ it? He said the word right in front of you?" Zuri asked in near disbelief. "_**Clearly?!**_"

"Yes, but that's assuming he can _only_ say it while he's angry now. A few minutes later he came running out of the cave. That's why I assumed he talked to you."

Zuri softly gasped. "He _couldn't_ have seen me with Sly, could he? That kiss was an accident. We didn't mean to--" She suddenly blinked. "Wait a second... _angry?_ Why would he have a reason to be angry? If he just came back from Rafiki empty-handed he would be more mopey than angry." She suddenly noticed the bruise on Sudi's chin and frowned.

Sudi blinked. "What?"

"I'm guessing you got that bruise on your chin by saying something to Timon that he didn't like to hear?" Zuri asked in monotone. "Thus making him angry?"

"What makes you think _he_ gave me this?" Sudi protested.

Zuri pressed her nose against Sudi's as she softly growled, "Because you get along with everyone else here _except_ Timon. Now _what_ did you say to him, little brother?"

"Oh, uh... this and that... you know, stuff that would make you angry that I said it."

"Such as...?"

"Things I felt were true, like our colony only liking him because he gave us that oasis to live in and that you thought of him only as a replacement to Sly."

Zuri growled and threw Sudi down onto the ground. "A _**replacement?!**_ Where would you get an idea like _that?_"

Sudi sat up and folded his arms in front of his chest. "Oh, come _on,_ Zuri. You've told him yourself he reminded you so much of Sly. What's he _suppose_ to think when you're comparing him to your old boyfriend?"

Zuri went to say something, but closed her mouth quickly.

"Yeah, that's what I thought. And I feel Timon, the son of Fearless Buzz, is not the best for you... especially since we actually found Sly."

"And you think Sly's better for me because he's from _our_ colony?" Zuri asked with a paw on her hip.

"More or less. I happen to like Sly, and he won your affections by being himself, unlike Timon." Sudi stood and dusted himself off. "Besides, I was starting to think you felt the same way. You insisted to stay here with Sly's new colony while we look for Titus and you were giving Sly more of your attention than Timon."

"That's not true... well, not _all_ of it." Zuri lowered her eyes slightly. "I admit, I asked Sly to come back with us, but it wasn't because I wanted to be romantically involved with him again. I _do_ love Sly, but not in the same way... and he knows it. He feels the same way. Too much time apart, so we didn't change together."

"Then _why_ did we stay here? So we wouldn't have that long walk between here and Pride Rock?"

"No, Sudi. I wanted Timon to realize his brother _is_ in this colony... that Kito _did_ find him for us."

"... _What?_"

_To be continued..._


	32. Like Father, Like Son?

OK, here's another chapter I've wanted to do for a while, ever since I started listening to the _Aida_ soundtrack. If it were an animated movie I'd have the characters sing the song _"Like Father, Like Son."_ But since this is a fic, it doesn't work the same. Real shame; it's catchy. UPDATE: Removed lyrics at the end. 

Chapter 32:

The moon was high overhead by the time Sly finally came down from the roof. He slid down the root hanging from the skylight and dropped down silently. He blinked once when he noticed the nest he landed next to had only one sleeping occupant in it: Kito. He shook it off quickly as he walked away to find an unoccupied nest, which he would normally find deeper into the cave. He came to an abrupt stop when Sengbe stepped in front of him.

"Oh, uh, hey, Pop," Sly blinked. He noticed his father's expression and added, "I'm guessing you're not here to say good night."

"You'd be correct. What's this I've been hearing from Yasmin about certain dreams of yours?" Sengbe asked, folding his arms in front of his chest.

"I can't control what I dream. I blame the termite-only diet," Sly shrugged.

"I don't. Because of those dreams you've been neglecting your fiancée. I can't let you do that, not after all the trouble I've gone to."

Sly scoffed as he went to walk around him. "_You_ arranged a marriage so we would have a place to call home. _I_ would've been happy if we just kept walking and earn a place to stay."

Sengbe grabbed Sly's shoulder, keeping him where he was. "There have been _other_ arrangements as well, son. Things I've done on _your_ behalf."

Sly slapped the paw from his shoulder and said with a growl, "I haven't asked you to do _anything_ for me!"

"No, you're right... you haven't because you've been too busy spending the most recent hours with Shomari's daughter."

"Is it illegal to get reacquainted with an old friend now?"

"Depends on the occasion... and the fact that your old _friend_ has crossed into forbidden territories where only Yasmin is allowed."

Sly sneered, "Oh, your spies _are_ _**good.**_"

"They are for your own protection. Don't you realize that if word gets out about that incident that girl could cost you your position in the colony? I want you to live the position I never had... because of that _rat_ Shomari. He killed my brother and took the position _I_ was suppose to get."

"Believe it or not, I don't care about my position in this colony anymore, Pop. Because I'm not like you... and I _never_ will be."

Sengbe's eyes widened as Sly began to walk around him to get past. Sengbe snarled, grabbed Sly by the throat, and pushed him against the cave wall. It happened so fast Sly didn't see it coming. He clenched his teeth and tried to pull his father's paw from his throat. "Don't be so sure about that, pup! You got your genes from me, after all." He tightened his grip on his son's neck as he leaned closer to him, growling. "You're not the master of your fate, Sylvester. Sons take after their fathers, whether you like it or not. Like father, like son."

Sly managed to pry Sengbe's paw from his throat. He collapsed to the ground and coughed, rubbing his throat. He glared up at his father. "Don't assume that just because you had a part in my existence that I'm anything like you. Right now... I wouldn't wish those words on my _worst_ enemy." He rose to his feet and dusted himself off.

"You don't know what you're saying." Sengbe went to put his paw on Sly's shoulder again, only for it to be dusted off by Sly.

"I don't know a lot of things anymore, so don't complicate things any further, Pop." With that, Sly turned on his heels and walked in the opposite direction of where he was headed.

Sengbe watched him until he was out of sight. Three meerkats appeared behind him. "He's lost all sense of reason because of that Zuri," one said.

"Sylvester has been made a full-fledged member of this colony. Fraternizing with outside meerkats, even meerkats from his former colony, is considered treason. If Khairi learns of this, your son will be marked as a traitor and put to death," the second said.

Sengbe gasped softly and turned to the meerkats. "_No._ His mother would turn in her grave if he died in that way! Tell me what I have to do!"

"You already know the answer, Sengbe," the third meerkat said. "Zuri has already gotten in the way, and you know what Khairi expects."

The old meerkat sighed and turned away from them. "What Khairi doesn't know won't kill him. The girl gets one last chance. If she gets too close to Sylvester--"

"What about the _rest_ of her party?" the first meerkat asked.

"You can't do anything against the warthogs or cheetah. We'd have to send them away, by the _Nunda's_ roar perhaps. Her brother, mate, and son, on the other hand... well, their only crime is being associated with her, or share the same blood. Unless they put up a fight, you do nothing to them. Until then, if she gets too close to Sylvester..." He sneered and said in a low voice, "I want her head on a platter."

The three meerkats bowed and backed away from him. "As you wish it."

_To be continued..._


	33. Possibilities

Ah, yes, another chapter posted! OK, I'm gonna post a few responses to a few of the past reviewers. **Took-Baggins:** ::hug:: Aren't you sweet! Thanks for noticing my birthday on my bio and for the meerkats! And I started listening to _Aida_ when I found out Tim Rice and Elton John wrote the songs. Pretty sweet, neh? And to **Maran Zelde: **I never said who picked Titus up when he was a few weeks old. And the rest is for you to find out. _Sheesh,_ I wrote nearly two other nearly-done versions of this chapter before I finally decided to change the scene. I hope you like. Read on! 

Chapter 33:

A bit of movement under his arm disturbed Simba's dream, causing him to wake up. He lifted his head up and yawned deeply. He raised his front leg up to see what was rubbing against him. When the leg and head were both lifted he could see Timon, sleeping in a slumped position, mostly because the meerkat was leaning against the lion's head when he fell asleep. Timon, without opening his eyes, sleepily felt himself as he felt he lost cover. He mumbled something as he curled himself up in a ball to keep himself warm. Simba tilted his head, wondering what his friend was doing there. He stood, careful not to disturb Nala's sleep, and carefully picked Timon up into his mouth, carrying him outside.

When he walked far enough outside he gently dropped Timon onto the ground and nudged him with a paw. "Timon. Timon, wake up."

Timon was still half-asleep as he felt the paw nudging him. He grabbed onto the paw and pulled it onto him, covering him like a blanket. "There's my blanky. Don't ever leave me again," he said in his sleep, wrapping his arms around one of Simba's big toes.

Simba grinned as he lifted that paw up, finding Timon was still holding onto it. He held Timon up to his face and asked, "_Who_ are you calling a 'blanky?'"

Timon finally opened his eyes, which widened at the shock of giant eyes staring at him. He almost screamed until Simba used his other paw to close over his head, muffling the scream. When he stopped, Simba removed the paw and saw Timon's annoyed glare. "What's with the rude awakening? Don't you know what time it is? Is this how you treat guests these days?"

Simba placed Timon back onto solid ground. "To the guests I don't invite, yes." He looked around briefly, sniffing the air. He turned back to Timon. "Where's Pumbaa?"

Timon waved a paw to Simba dismissingly. "Ah, who cares? He's not important right now." He cleared his throat. "Can you do me a favor?"

"Of course, Timon. What do you want?" Simba asked as he lowered his face down to Timon.

"Well..." Timon leaned forward on Simba's nose, looking at him straight in the eye. "Can you eat someone for me?"

"_What?_" Simba raised his head up, a bit taken aback by that question, and accidentally causing the meerkat to fall flat on his face. Timon lifted his head up and furrowed his brow at the lion. "Sorry. What's going on?"

Timon sat down at the edge of the Pride Rock cliff and rested his chin in a paw. "Marriage troubles. Zuri ran into an old boyfriend and she's fallen for him again." He pulled on his ears in frustration. "_Oooh,_ I could just _**kill**_ myself for letting her talk us into staying there!"

"In the Outlands?"

"Yeah, see, Sly and a mob have been staying in the old Outlanders' caves and--" Timon blinked a moment and released his ears. He looked up at Simba. "How did you know we went to the Outlands?"

"Rafiki came earlier tonight and told us that strange roar was coming from the Outlands, and that you and Pumbaa were there looking for your brother Titus."

Timon stared at Simba for a moment, and then he furrowed his brow. "You mean he was _here_ while Pumbaa and I was looking for him at his _tree?!_ He's avoiding me on _**purpose!**_"

Simba chuckled slightly, "Relax, Timon. He seems pretty confident that your brother is in _that_ meerkat colony. I've never known him to be wrong."

"Tell _that_ to my mother." Timon then tapped his fingers together as looked at Simba in a scheming manner. "So... _can_ you eat Zuri's old boyfriend for me?"

Simba's face cringed slightly before he answered, "That's not the answer, Timon. Don't you trust Zuri to--?"

Timon turned back around and rested his chin in his paws. "I _did_ trust her, before I saw her lip wrestling with that punk."

Simba's face softened a bit. "Timon..."

"Even told each other they loved each other," Timon continued as he lowered his eyes.

"Right in front of you?"

"Well, I was looking for Zuri and I overheard a lot of the conversation between her and Sly. They didn't know I was there."

"Then how do you know they weren't talking about something different before they got to the part you came in on?" Simba said as he lowered his face down next to Timon. "Have you considered _all_ of the possibilities before accusing her of going back to Sly?"

Timon turned his eyes to Simba, and then rubbed his chin, blinking. "Well, no. It happened so fast. I guess it _is_ possible I misunderstood some things..." He then sighed. "But when two people exchange the 'L' word... well, that's hard to misunderstand."

"You mean love?" Timon nodded. "I thought it was obvious to everyone that there are different kinds of love. How do you know when they said it to each other it wasn't some kind of friendship love?"

"I--" Timon began, but then closed his mouth, considering.

_"I love her, but not in the way _she_ wants me to love her,"_ he remembered Sly saying earlier.

"I guess I forgot about those. I've been focusing on the kind I feel towards Zuri lately, so I could say it to her face. I'm getting better at that."

"Good for you."

"Anyway, I saw flowers on her wrist. Who else would give her flowers besides him?"

Simba rolled his eyes slightly. "_Anyone_ could give her flowers. How do you know Kito didn't give those to her?"

"Nah, Kito doesn't give her flowers unless he's in trouble." Timon tapped his forehead. "Oh, wait. He _is_ in trouble for leaving the oasis. OK, OK, so maybe Sly didn't give her flowers." He lay back onto the ground and looked up at the stars. "Then maybe Zuri's tired of me. Her brother Sudi said I'm just a replacement Sly to her... and maybe I _am,_ since she says I remind her _so_ much of him."

Simba tilted his head to see Timon's face on level. "I've never seen you so jealous before."

"I am _not_ jealous," Timon said with a hint of annoyance in his voice. He furrowed his brow deeper as he continued, "Just because Zuri's spending her all of her time with Sly _instead_ of me, taking _his_ side of conversations _**instead**_ of mine, and _insisted_ to stay there with **_his_** _**colony despite what I think it does not mean that I'm--**_" He blinked, shocked at what he was saying and how he was saying it. Simba arched an eyebrow as Timon sat up. He then folded his arms stubbornly. "OK, so I _am_ jealous. Doesn't mean I have to like the guy."

"_Really._" The look of Simba's grin and the look in his eyes made Timon weaken his attitude. "Just what don't you like about him?"

"Well, he--" Timon paused a moment, thinking. "And then he--" He paused again, tapping his forehead. "And _you_ haven't seen him when he--" He stopped himself again, and continued tapping himself on the forehead. "Think, think, _think._"

Simba lowered his face down to Timon with the same look and grin. "Aside from a few facts you don't know _anything_ about him, do you?"

Timon nervously chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck. "I, uh, guess not. I guess that's why Zuri wanted me to get to know him and get along."

"I can't see why you _wouldn't_ like him. You like yourself, don't you?"

Timon scoffed, "That's a stupid question. Of _course_ I like myself! Most days anyway."

"Well then, I can't see why you wouldn't like Sly, if Zuri thinks you two are so alike." Timon's eyes widened slightly. He hadn't thought of it that way. "Get to know him and see."

Timon stood and stretched a moment. "Well, I guess if he saved Kito from that monster last night... Thanks for the talk, Simba." Timon began to walk over to where they normally descend Pride Rock when he found Simba had stepped in front of him.

"You've seen the monster that makes the roar in the Outlands?"

Timon blinked a moment before responding. "Not yet, but I heard it this morning. The mob there doesn't talk about it too much."

"It hasn't made much noise today. We usually hear it a few different times a day, instead we heard two or three within the same hour."

"Really." Timon began to rub his chin, thinking.

"Do you need my help? I won't hesitate to lead the pride there."

"Um... no thanks, Simba. Things have been pretty quiet over there today..." He sneered slightly as he added, "Since _we_ arrived there today. I think Pumbaa and I can take care of things over there."

"Are you sure?"

Timon patted Simba's paw with a grin. "Don't you worry your royal head there, Simba. If you hear that roar again, then come running towards the Outlanders' caves. Right now, you get back to sleep."

"All right... be careful, Timon," Simba said as he turned to walk back into the cave.

Timon grinned as he puffed out his chest and began to descend Pride Rock. "_I_ don't have to be careful. I'm the son of Fearless Buzz."

_In the Outlands..._

Zuri was away from the caves the Outlanders' cave and away from her friends and family. She was sitting at the base of a termite mound with her face in her paws. She felt ashamed of herself after talking to her brother, who brought some things to her attention. She was unaware Timon must have been watching and listening in on her and Sly's conversation, so she would say things she normally wouldn't say out loud. She was most ashamed that Timon might have heard her say she wasn't sure if he really loved her even though she loved him.

_If I was just honest with them to begin with... if I just sat them both down and talked to them... _Zuri thought to herself.

Sighing deeply she lifted her face from her paws and wiped her face dry. She looked towards Pride Rock, the closest location she was sure Timon would go to. She then looked at the flower ring on her wrist, rose to her feet, and exhaled deeply.

_I have to set things right again..._

She began to walk towards the Pridelands, unaware that she was being watched.

_To be continued..._

I was _so_ tempted to have Timon sucking his thumb when he used Simba's paw as a "blanky." Think that would've been a little over-the-top? ::giggles::


	34. What Was Said

Here I am again! Figured I'd try a sort of recap chapter... it's getting closer to figuring out who Titus is and I need to put that full chat between Sly and Zuri in somewhere. This way you can judge, what Cathy was saying, if Zuri was really cheating on Timon. French kissing? We'll see. And for the record, I was planning to write this chapter way into development. Only reason I didn't do the whole thing in one shot was because it was too long to put in the parts I wanted to put in there, like Timon arguing with Sudi and such. So _nyeh._ Long chapter ahead! 

Chapter 34:

Sly needed someone to talk to. There were so many questions spinning around in his head he felt dizzy. He wanted to find answers and quick before he made himself sick. He couldn't find Timon, Zuri, or Sudi after his encounter with Sengbe and he thought Kito wouldn't understand what he was talking about, so he walked outside of the cave over towards the sleeping warthogs.

He carefully approached Jina, who was sleeping next to Pumbaa. He climbed onto her back and onto her head, taking hold of her ear and whispering, "Jina, are you asleep?"

Jina sleepily groaned, "Noisy crickets. You're _lucky_ I'm not hungry." She yawned and smacked her lips as she began to settle back down.

Sly grimaced, "Same old Jina. Wonder if the same method still works." He walked to the other end of the warthog, to the tail. He lifted the tail up to his level and lightly brushed the brushy part of the tail over Jina's back.

Jina began to snicker, and then giggle, and then laughed until she sat up and looked back at what was tickling her. "Oh, so it _wasn't_ bed bugs. Dang."

"Same old Jina," Sly grinned as he released the tail.

"And same old Sly. The tickling trick always worked for you. Why'd you wake me? I was having such a nice dream."

"What I wouldn't _give_ for a nice dream. Listen, Jina, can we talk somewhere without whispering?"

Jina glanced at the sleeping warthogs and cheetah, and then nodded. She walked around to the other side of the cave. "Is this good, Sly?"

Sly jumped off Jina's back and walked around the warthog to meet her in the front. "Good enough. Listen, Jina. You're still Zuri's best not-the-same-species friend, right?" Jina nodded. "You understand what she says most of the time, right?" Jina pouted her lips, thinking for a moment, and then she nodded. "Then maybe you can help me understand some of the things we were talking about tonight."

"Sure, Sly, but why didn't you ask someone else?"

"I would've, but I can't find anyone else who understands her like you do."

"All right, then. I've got time, so start from the beginning."

Sly nodded and sat down in front of her. "OK. I was sitting up on the roof of the cave like I normally do anymore, thinking, and then Zuri comes up..."

_Earlier tonight..._

Zuri climbed to the top of the skylight and growled at the meerkat sitting with his back to her. "You have _**no**_ consideration to a girl trying to catch up on her sleep!"

Sly turned to look at her and grinned, "It's not _my_ fault you made your nest under the skylight Zuri."

Zuri blushed slightly when she realized the meerkat was Sly. She lifted herself up and sat down next to him. "No, I guess not. So what are _you_ doing up here all by yourself?"

Sly sighed as he rubbed his eyes. "I'd _like_ to say it's insomnia, but it's not. I haven't really been able to sleep lately. Too many dreams I don't like or I don't understand. I come up here to try to understand them..." He shook his head. "But I haven't come to a conclusion yet."

Zuri rubbed a flower petal from her bracelet between her fingers for a moment. "I'm sorry. I'm sure my coming here made things a lot more complicated for you."

"Maybe, maybe not." Sly looked up at the stars. "Someone told me once that dreams can be a window into the future. I kept having dreams about you... and you came."

Zuri sighed and scooted closer to him. "But I didn't _know_ you were here. If Kito hadn't left like that..."

"We'd still be wondering whatever happened to each other, wouldn't we?"

A moment of silence. Zuri tapped her fingers on her knee, trying to make conversation. "I heard dreams can also be forgotten memories trying to resurface. So... what else have you been dreaming about?"

Sly turned his eyes to look at her. "You wanna know?"

"If they're not all about me, I could help you think."

"All right..." He turned his eyes back to the sky. "In one dream I'm just a pup, barely a month old. I remember my eyes adjusting to the light, like it was the first time I came out of the tunnel. Then I remember being in tall grass in a pile of fresh leaves... next thing I know I'm--flying."

Zuri suppressed a small giggle. "You had _wings?_"

Sly shook his head. "Don't think so. I didn't have a choice in the direction I was going. I remember landing in a tree, and then tumbling down branches and hitting the ground. That's usually when I wake up."

"_Ouch._" Zuri rubbed her chin. "I don't know. Maybe you were snatched by a bird or something when you were a pup."

"I dunno. Mom and Pop never mentioned it to me. Besides, if that fall _really_ happened I'd probably be dead right now."

Zuri drummed her fingers on her knee, thinking. "Do you remember anything else from that dream?"

Sly was silent for a moment, thinking hard. "I remember... a big rock next to a small tree... and another pup there, probably one of my brothers or sisters from the litter. Must've been one of our first homes or something, because I don't remember that kind of rock or tree anywhere else we stayed." He shook his head and laughed slightly. "You'd think after I had that dream so many times I'd remember everything."

"Maybe... so what other dreams have you had?"

Sly lowered his eyes slightly. "The day I was cast out of your colony."

"Sly, I'm _sure_ my father would let you come back if you just asked him. There's so many people there who want to see you," Zuri said in a near-desperate tone.

"I've told you before," Sly said in a stern voice, "I _can't_ go back. Khairi isn't long for this plain and I'm suppose to take his place with Yasmin when he dies."

"Can't you take a few days and make peace with him?" Zuri asked in a soft voice.

"With _him?_"

"I've told you; he's changed. You'd hardly recognize him."

Sly snorted. "Check back with me in a month, after I've taken position as leader and married Yasmin. Then _you'll_ be out of my mind."

Zuri was silent for a moment. "... Yasmin told me about the deal between Sengbe and Khairi."

"... I shouldn't even _be_ here. I don't belong here," Sly sighed. "Yasmin thought I was cute and that's the _only_ reason my father and I are here."

"So, you don't really love her?"

Sly exhaled. "I love her, but not in the way _she_ wants me to love her. I would've left if it was just me, but Pop..."

"He couldn't travel that much. I know, I remember how he was. Better for him to stay in one spot at a time. And besides that, I'm guessing since your litter siblings died he wanted to make sure you lived to a ripe old age."

"Basically. And he thought if I stayed I could grow to _love-_love Yasmin. But it's three years later and I don't feel any different towards her."

"So why are you marrying her? Not so your father can finally have some kind of authority?"

"No, more of a sense of duty, I guess... in attempt to move on, like _you_ obviously have."

Zuri exhaled and put a paw on Sly's back. "In a sense I have."

"What do you mean?" Sly looked right at her.

"Timon reminded me so much of you... that's what first attracted me to him. But he has his own traits that separates him from you."

"Such as?"

She shrugged slightly. "He's a little childish and lazy sometimes, but he taught me how to have fun."

"_I _would've taught you if fun wasn't a four-letter word back then," Sly growled, folding his arms in front of his chest.

"I know you would've, but you still made me laugh. The only other thing I can think of that separates the two of you is... well..." Zuri hesitated.

"Go on."

"He... he never told me he loves me." Sly arched an eyebrow. "It's not that he doesn't _try,_ Sly, it's just... he can't successfully. And I _need_ to hear those words coming from his mouth. I've been meaning to talk to him about it, but he keeps finding other things to occupy himself with. Granted, finding Kito _was_ important, but so's this. And I was going to sit him down and talk to him today, but he's disappeared somewhere again." Zuri sighed. "What am I suppose to do when I feel my mate and I are on the rocks anymore?"

"Oh, Zuri, you're not the first to have marriage trouble," Sly said as he rubbed Zuri's back. "Quit overreacting."

"I am _not_ overreacting, Sly. He hasn't even _tried_ getting along with you, even though I've asked him to. I... I'm starting to wonder if he really even _does_ love me anymore."

"I guess he _did_ kind of leave all of a sudden today..." Sly said as he put an arm around Zuri's shoulders. "But I'm sure he was just trying to avoid me, not you."

"Well, he never expected he'd actually ever meet you, Sly. We weren't suppose to ever see each other again."

"Where does it say that? Your father's words weren't written in stone. It was probably an experiment the heavens were testing and we didn't have a say in it."

"Maybe it was... but..."

"But...?"

Zuri swallowed and said, "The experiment never changed how I felt about you... even now. I love you, Sly."

"I love you, too."

Zuri sighed. "You have _no_ idea how much I've needed to hear that..." She reached over and kissed him on the cheek. He blushed slightly. There was a moment of silence before they suddenly closed the gap between them. It was short, but it would've lasted longer if Zuri hadn't pushed Sly away from her. "Stop it," she whispered.

"What's the matter?"

Zuri rubbed her arms as she sighed and looked up at the stars. "It's not _right._ I could list _so_ many reasons why it could never work out between us now."

Sly sighed and leaned back. "You're right."

"I'm sorry. For that one moment I forgot I was married and had a family. For that one moment I thought it was three years ago, when we were together."

"I felt the same."

"I love Timon _now_ the same way I loved you _then,_ even if he can't say he feels the same way. As long as I know he does, I guess that's all that matters."

Sly grinned slightly. "Too much time apart. We loved each other for what we were then, but not now. We've changed too much to start again, huh?" Zuri nodded. "I guess it was written in the stars that we meet again, but can't _really_ be together without being unfaithful."

"A word of advice?" Zuri turned back to Sly. "If you want to find true happiness, Sly, don't let your father control your life." She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek before standing and walking around to the skylight to climb back down. She was about to go down before she took one more look at Sly, and then paused.

Sly noticed and blinked. "What?"

"I... never noticed before..."

"Noticed _what_ before?"

"You have your mother's eyes." She climbed down before Sly could get another word out. He watched her go down, and then he sat back down, rubbing his chin.

_Present..._

"My mother's _eyes?_ You remember my mother, Jina. Do I _have_ my mother's eyes?" Sly asked Jina, who had been listening to Sly retelling the conversation.

Jina rubbed her chin, looking into Sly's eyes. "... You have such pretty eyes, Sly."

Sly grunted, "Jina, I'm trying to make a point!"

Jina blinked, "Sorry. Well, I barely remember your mother, but I don't remember her having green eyes. She had brown, didn't she?" Sly nodded. "And your father has gray eyes."

"And my brothers and sisters never had green eyes either. I always considered I got it from my grandparents or something, but now it's like Zuri knows something and she's not telling me." Sly started pulling on his ears. "And I don't understand what she means! That just adds to all the questions swimming around in my head! If I don't find answers soon I'll drown!"

"You'll cause internal bleeding if you pull like that, Sly," Jina dryly said as she watched Sly. She then put a hoof to her chin. "Hmm... you said you had a big rock and a tree in your pup dream, right?"

Sly released his ears. "Yeah, so?"

"Maybe some more memories will pop up if you go there."

"But I don't even _know_ where that is! How am I--?"

"Don't ask a lot more questions. Now then, I only know one place where a meerkat colony lived near a rock and tree like the one you described. I could take you there."

"You _could?_" Jina nodded. "You'd save me a lot of headaches trying to find it myself, Jina. Thanks."

"Oh, don't mention it. Hop on." She knelt down to let Sly climb onto her back. "Can we at least tell Pumbaa where we're going so he doesn't overreact that I'm gone?"

"All right."

They spent the next five minutes trying to wake Pumbaa up and then told him the message. He went right back to sleep. Jina walked away from the caves and over towards the log that stretched over to the Pride Lands. Before they set foot on the Pride Lands' soil...

"Jina?"

Jina gulped and stopped when she saw Timon walk towards them. She nervously smiled; she wasn't sure how he and Sly got along yet. "Uh, hi, Timon. What are you doing out here?"

"Took a stroll. What are _you_ doing out here?" Timon returned the question.

"_Taking_ a stroll." She stepped off the log and walked around Timon, keeping Sly out of view. "Well, be seeing you around, Timon. I'll be back later tomorrow."

"Where are you going so you won't be back until _tomorrow?_"

"Uh... secret."

Timon put a paw on his hip. "Uh-huh. So secret that _he's_ coming along, too?" He pointed to above Jina's head.

Jina looked up and noticed Sly had climbed onto her head and was looking at Timon. "If you _must_ know, Great Timon, I'm trying to get some questions answered and Jina's taking me there," Sly said.

"Really. Is it a long trip?" Timon asked as he folded his arms in front of his chest.

"Sorta, yeah..." Jina awkwardly said.

"Then would you mind if I come along? I've got some questions I want answered, too." Timon jumped onto Jina's back and looked up at Sly.

"What _kind_ of questions?" Sly asked with a raised brow as Jina began to walk away from the Outlands.

"Some questions _you_ can answer, like..." Timon cracked his knuckles with a growl. "_**What**_ were you doing with _your_ lips on _my_ _mate's_ lips?"

Sly looked taken aback at first, and then he growled, "Were you spying on us, too?"

"I was just looking for Zuri and I happened to listen in on your rooftop conversation. Then you two exchange the 'L' word and kiss."

"You want honesty? I don't _know_ what happened up there! It just happened; we considered it an accident! We forgot what time we were living in and--" He paused a moment. "... What, did you not stick around after the kiss?"

"The moment I saw the kiss I looked away and left."

"Then you missed Zuri pushing away from the kiss and say why it wouldn't work out between her and I anymore."

Timon blinked a bit. "I did?"

"They changed while they were apart. They loved each other for they were back then," Jina spoke up.

Timon looked at Sly, who had a brow arched at Timon. Timon blew some air out of his mouth. "Load off my mind." He rubbed the paw he used to punch Sudi earlier. "Good thing you said that, otherwise I would've broken my paw twice."

There was a brief moment of silence before Sly broke it. "So..."he began, "_do_ you love her?"

Timon arched an eyebrow. "She asked me to try getting along with _you,_ didn't she? That's what I'm here for now."

Sly grinned, "You _must_ love her."

"I do, enough that if she wanted to be with you instead of me... I'd let her."

Sly looked a bit taken aback by that answer. He then cleared his throat. "I want to know what she ended up with. Are you the best thing for her?"

Timon looked at him, and then back towards the Outlands, where he thought Zuri was. "I hope so."

_To be continued..._


	35. More Questions

Hmm, that's the second confusion I've gotten about the "fun being a four-letter word" joke. So I'll clear it up. By four-letter word I mean a word that's offensive or dirty, like a curse word. Most common curse words are in fact four-letter words. When they say "fun is a four-letter word" it means it's discouraged or forbidden, especially when work and digging tunnels is top priority in a meerkat colony. We clear? OK, then read on! 

Chapter 35:

The next few hours were spent trekking across the Pride Lands and retellings of conversations past. Timon was lying on his back with his paws behind his head, leaning against the back of Jina's neck. Sly was sitting in front of him.

"... Uh-huh. So we're going to a place with a rock and tree near some old meerkat tunnels where you think you were in a dream?" Timon asked Sly with one eye open.

"Well, Jina's going to take us to a place _similar_ to it. I was a pup in that dream, so I wasn't very aware of everything there. I don't know, it just seemed like the thing to do. I wasn't getting any answers where I was," Sly replied.

"Yeah, he just kept asking more questions," Jina spoke up. "Like Zuri's comments about his eyes."

"What about his eyes?" Timon opened his other eye to look at Sly's. "They're green. So what?"

"Exactly. She said I had my mother's eyes, but _her_ eyes were brown. I just don't understand what she meant by it."

"Well, sorry, Sly, but it's not like I knew your mother, so I have no idea what Zuri meant. So don't ask me about it."

Sly bowed his head slightly and grimaced. "I know, but..." He raised his eyes up at Timon. "She knows something that I don't, and somehow I felt like you'd understand. You _are_ her mate after all."

Timon furrowed his brow. "Didn't stop you from lip wrestling with her, did it?"

Jina rolled her eyes and mumbled, "Oh, boy, there he goes again..."

"I'm sorry, all right?! How many time do I have to apologize already?!" Sly growled. "Look, if I let you hit me, would you stop?"

Timon put a paw to his chin, letting out a short, "Hmm." He rubbed his paw and shook his head, "I think that's enough apologizing. And violence never really solved anything."

"Really," Sly arched an eyebrow.

_Yeah, I'll just wait until you least suspect it, then wham-o!_ Timon thought with a grin. "Yeah, Zuri wants us to get along, right? It'd be easier if I wasn't fussing over a broken hand."

"Gee, you're so thoughtful," Sly said dryly.

"Yeah, I know," Timon said with a grin.

Sly rolled his eyes slightly and craned his neck to speak to Jina. "Is he like this to everyone new he meets or am I just lucky?"

"I think you're just lucky," Jina replied as she glanced back at him. As she turned back to see where she was going she stopped. "Here we are."

Timon climbed on top of Jina's head to see. "What do you mean here we are?" He growled when Sly pushed his head down to see. Sly tilted his head to the side slightly, and then jumped off Jina's head and began to walk around, surveying the area. Timon brushed his messed up hair back normally and then he took a look at where they were... and paused.

"Sorry, Timon, I guess I should've mentioned where we were going," Jina whispered to Timon when he realized they arrived at his colony's old tunnel system.

Timon furrowed his brow again and leaned forward to look at Jina. "Yeah, especially when our guest was raised to _hate_ my colony. He doesn't know about the links I have to Fearless Buzz," he whispered back.

Jina jerked her head forward, forcing the meerkat off. "He doesn't know this was your family's tunnels, so Hakuna Matata. And this was the only place I could think of that had the rock and tree like Sly described."

"That's what worries me," Timon said as he dusted himself off.

Sly kept glancing around the area, looking at the landmarks carefully. He noticed the rock next to the small tree and gasped softly. "That's the same rock and tree."

Timon and Jina turned to look at him, and Timon approached him. "Are you sure?" he asked.

"I'm positive."

"Yeah, only _mooks_ are positive," Timon said as he folded his arms in front of his chest.

Sly grinned and arched a brow, "Are you sure about that?"

"I'm positive." He realized he said that and smacked himself in the forehead. "_D'oh!_" Jina stayed where she was, snickering.

Sly chuckled, and then turned his attention back to the tree and rock. "But seriously, Timon. That's the same rock and tree. I'm sure of it." He walked towards it.

Timon shook his head as he followed him. "Are you sure you're not just delusional from the lack of sleep?" He stepped in front of Sly to keep him from going around the side of the rock. "And it _was_ just a dream, after all."

"Dreams can be forgotten memories trying to resurface. I couldn't have just dreamt this place up."

"Well, there _are_ numerous possibilities, and dreams can play tricks on a guy's mind to make you think differently about reality."

"Really." Sly kept trying to step to the side of Timon and Timon would always side step with him. Sly began to get annoyed and grasped onto Timon's shoulder with a growl. "_Excuse_ me, but is there something you don't want me to find, Timon?"

Timon went to answer, but paused when he noticed the look in Sly's eyes. He then found he couldn't answer. Sly grunted and pushed Timon to the side and walked around to the side of the rock. He saw a meerkat-sized rock resting beside the larger rock. He looked at the side of the larger rock and softly gasped. The rock had carved pictures on it; pictures that reminded him of a song. He brushed some dirt from the rock to see the picture of a strong looking meerkat better.

"Sly?" Jina said, padding up to the meerkat.

Sly didn't respond right away. He just looked across the pictures, trying to believe what he saw. "Timon, is this...?"

Timon walked around and knelt down to the smaller rock, putting a paw on it. "Fearless Buzz's grave. Yeah, it is." He lowered his eyes slightly. "Sorry, I know how much you were raised to hate him, so I didn't want you to disrespect him or anything."

Sly wasn't paying attention to what Timon said after he confirmed whose grave it was. He had other questions on his mind. "I don't get it. Why would I remember _this_ place? I was born after the battle between the two colonies and I remember all the places we dug our tunnels. Our colony never lived here before... _right?_"

"Sheesh, Sly, you came here to _get_ answers, not to _ask_ more questions," Timon said.

Sly shook his head. "Maybe they _were_ just dreams. But they seemed like they actually happened."

"I've had dreams like that before. The other night I--" Timon stopped, and rubbed his chin, thinking. "You said you were a pup in that dream, right?"

"Yeah, so?"

_Nah, there's no way... but what if it is?_ "Sly, I want you to tell me about that dream," Timon said as he stood to face him. "I want to know what it was about."

Sly blinked. "Why the sudden--?"

"Just tell me!"

Jina watched the two of them, a bit concerned. She spoke up, "Go ahead, Sly. I don't mind hearing it again."

Sly exhaled, "All right. I remember coming out of the tunnel and my eyes adjusting to the light. Must've been the first time I went up to the surface. I'm barely a month old. I'm set down to the ground and I'm tackled by a second pup about the same age." Sly looked over towards nearby tall grass. "We tumble over that way into a pile of leaves. The next thing I know I'm flying, probably being carried by some bird." He paused when he noticed Timon's surprised expression. "What?"

"It _can't_ be a coincidence..." Timon said to himself. He spoke to Sly, "I don't know _what_ to think, but... I had a dream just like that, too, except I didn't go flying."

"You're joking," Sly said with a straight face.

"Nah, he laughs at his own jokes, and it's rare when we laugh at them," Jina said.

"Jina, don't spoil the mood."

"Sorry."

"The dream was at this place, too," Timon continued.

Sly took a few steps away from Timon. "Quit messing with my head, Timon. I'm not in the mood to be messed with."

"I'm _not_ messing with your head! We had the same dream, but with different endings! You got picked up by a bird; I got carried off by my parents looking for my--" Timon stopped himself, a bit shocked.

"Timon?" Jina tilted her head.

"Maybe those really _weren't_ dreams. Maybe they actually_ happened,_" Timon managed to say.

"_What?_ What are you saying?" Sly asked in a desperate tone. He watched as Timon was about to speak, but Sly covered his own ears. "_No,_ I don't want to hear. I don't want to know the answers." He glanced at the grave and quickly turned away from it. "_I don't want to know the answers!_"

"But Sly--"

"Just stay away from me!" With that Sly took off running faster than either Timon or Jina could react.

Timon reached a paw out to him. "Sly!"

"Sly, wait!" Jina was about to run after him, but Timon stepped in front of her. "What's the matter?"

"He needs some time alone, Jina. I don't think he really understands everything," Timon said as he shook his head.

"I know _I_ don't understand everything."

Timon looked off in the direction Sly ran off in. He couldn't see him anymore. "I don't either... but I'm beginning to. I think I understand why Zuri made us stay in the Outlands."

"You do?" Jina tilted her head to the side. "Why?"

Timon kept staring in the same direction as he said, "If what I'm thinking is right, then... Zuri's right... he _does_ have Ma's eyes."

_To be continued..._


	36. Truth Revealed

Here we go again. Sorry 'bout that long delay. I warned y'all 'bout that. I was having trouble deciding where to have the next chapter set up, and I was hooked on _Inuyasha: Secret of the Cursed Mask. _Once I found out there were multiple endings and such... Anyway, decided to put the controller down long enough to write the next chapter. Here's hoping I don't get re-hooked too soon. 

Chapter 36:

Jina had just taken Timon and Sly towards the former home of the Fearless Buzz colony. Not everyone knew that at the time. As much as she hated and feared going to the lions' den by herself, Zuri was determined to find Timon and set things straight. She could smell his scent carrying off of the stones of Pride Rock as she climbed to the top. She was sure he was here. She made it to the top and stared at the opening of the cave where many lions laid to sleep.

Zuri gulped, "I'm _still_ not used to these guys. I just hope you're in there, Timon." She only walked a few steps before something jumped from above and landed in front of her. Startled, she let out a scream and fell onto her backside. She looked up to the figure, blinked, and then furrowed her brow.

Zazu stood in front of her with his wings on his hips. "Oh, it's _you._ Do you realize what _time_ it is, meerkat?" he asked with a stifled yawn.

"Really. I guess you're not one of those early birds then," Zuri said as she stood and dusted herself off.

"Indeed not. What business do you have here that couldn't wait until morning?"

"Is Timon here?"

Zazu snorted in a snobbish manner. "_Timon? _Why would _he_ have a reason to be here at this time of night?"

"That's really none of your business, _Mister_ Banana-Beak," Zuri snorted back. "Just tell me where he is."

"You missed him," a voice said. Zuri and Zazu turned to see Simba walking out of the cave and over to them. "He left not too long ago."

Zazu turned away from Zuri and bowed to Simba. "Sire, what are you doing up?"

"I haven't been to sleep since I found Timon sleeping under my arm," Simba replied. "Now my mind's too full to sleep." He looked down at Zuri with a grin. "And then I heard that familiar scream."

Zuri gulped at the size of Simba, and then shook her head to clear it. "Sorry, Simba. Zazu surprised me. So Timon _was_ here. Where did he go?"

"Back to the Outlands, I assumed. He told me about you and this Sly friend of yours," Simba nodded his head towards the Outlands.

Zuri winced slightly. "What did you two talk about?"

"Well..."

_A few minutes later..._

"I see," Zuri said as she folded her arms in front of her chest. "He doesn't understand _why_ I wanted to stay there. Though he is a little slow on some matters, I was hoping he would figure it out himself. I wish I had told him before he took off like that..."

"Told him what?" Zazu spoke up.

Zuri shot Zazu a look. "None of your business, Zazu. Besides, you don't even _like_ Timon."

"What were you going to tell him, Zuri?" Simba spoke up.

Zuri looked up at Simba, and then lowered her eyes. "Well, I was going to tell him something, but decided that's not really my place." She shook her head. "I'm sorry, Simba, but I'm gonna go find him before he takes off somewhere again." She bowed to him, as she normally did, and then took off down the steps of Pride Rock. Simba shook his head and turned back into the cave to try getting back to sleep. Zazu took wing to his nest.

Zuri crossed the log back over to the Outlands and began to walk back towards the cave the Outlands' meerkats used until she stopped herself. "Wait a minute... I don't even know what I'm gonna _tell_ him!" she yelled to herself as she pulled on her ears. She released them and walked over to a nearby termite mound, sitting at the base.

_I want to tell him about Sly, but that's not something his mate should be telling him. Especially now that we actually _found_ him, and the fact that his mother knows..._

_Three days ago..._

Zuri was walking through the oasis on her way towards her parents' nest. "That Timon... 'I was talking about a male whom I never really knew.' 'Actions speak louder than words.' I could just _smack_ him for his lack of knowing what a girl wants!" She was a little red in the face as she grew nearer to her parents' nest, until she heard her father's voice nearby. She couldn't make out the words yet, but she decided to walk in that direction.

She slowed down when she realized Shomari was talking to her mother-in-law. "... So you don't know what happened to him?" he asked Ma.

Zuri hid behind a tree, not wanting to break up the conversation. _Dang it, Papa's occupied. I was hoping to let some steam off by talking to him. Guess I'll try Mom then._ She began to walk away.

"No one knows what happened to Titus," Ma said.

Zuri stopped, turned, and walked back to behind the tree to listen in. _Timon's brother? Wonder why Papa would be interested in knowing about him?_

Shomari put a paw to his chin. "You said he was three weeks old when he disappeared, right?" Ma nodded. "And a Martial eagle swooped down over you before you realized Titus was gone?" Again, Ma nodded. Shomari put a twig in his mouth and began to chew on the end. "Three weeks after the battle. That might explain some things..."

Zuri blinked, wondering what he meant.

"I beg your pardon?" Ma raised an eyebrow.

"You remember hearing about Sly, don't you?"

Ma put a finger to her chin. "Sly... Sly... oh, he was Zuri's old boyfriend, wasn't he? I've been wanting to hear more about him since the warthog piglets were born, but I never thought it appropriate to ask Zuri just out of the blue."

"Waiting for the topic to come up, eh?" Shomari grinned slightly. He sat up a bit more. "I've been wondering it for some time, but since you told me about this other son of yours and how he disappeared I'm beginning to suspect it's true."

"Suspecting _what's_ true?"

"Let me put it to you this way: even if Timon didn't marry Zuri..." He looked at her straight in the eye. "If I hadn't banished Sly and allowed him to marry Zuri, we would _still_ be in-laws."

Zuri put a paw over her mouth to suppress her gasp. _What?_

"_What?_" Ma leaned forward to Shomari. "What are you _saying?_"

"Panya... Titus is alive, or at least he _was_ a few years ago."

"_**What?**_"

"But he goes by Sly now."

Zuri kept her paw over her mouth, shocked. _Sly... is Titus? Sly's a son of Fearless Buzz?_ **How?!**

"How can that be? Why didn't you ever _tell_ me?!" Ma asked as she stood.

"I'm sorry, but I wasn't 100 percent positive. What you've told me were the missing pieces of the puzzle." Shomari took the twig out of his mouth and twirled it between his fingers for a few moments. "You see, after the battle between our colonies, several of our females were a week or two due to deliver their pups. We needed to find a place to start our new tunnels, since we failed to take over yours. So several members--including one or two expecting females--spanned out across the area to find suitable digging grounds. If they found good territories they would come back to our meeting area and take us there."

"You _ordered_ expecting females to look for territories?" Ma asked with a furrowed brow.

"I _allowed_ them. They were stubborn and wanted to be of some use before they gave birth. The ones that went were some of the older and stronger females, and they knew how to take care of themselves. Besides, I was so angry at the time I didn't care _who_ went."

"We _can_ be stubborn," Ma grinned slightly.

"Anyway, most of the members that left had come back. Those who didn't return we expected were eaten or something terrible like that." He put the twig back into his mouth and continued to chew. "No sense going to find them. One male named Sengbe stayed behind, insisting that he wouldn't leave until his expecting mate would return. He was shown the way to the new tunnel grounds, and then he returned to the meeting spot, to wait."

"How long did he stay there, or _did_ he ever come back?"

"A month or two, when his mate finally arrived at the meeting grounds. She had her pups, and that's why she didn't return right away. She couldn't carry four pups all by herself, so she waited until they could walk."

"That makes sense, but what does that have to do with Sly?"

"I'm getting to that. They arrived at our new tunnels and began to live life normally again. Time marched on and I began to feel uneasy around the pup they named Sylvester, or Sly as the rest of us called him. There was something familiar about him, and something unnatural. His brothers and sisters had gray and brown eyes like their parents..." Shomari raised his eyes up to look into Ma's. "And he had green. His father Sengbe assumed it was a mutation of some sort, because his grandparents didn't have green eyes."

"Really."

"Yes. Soon before I banished him I realized why I felt a sort of hatred towards him. He looked like Buzz. I wasn't sure why he looked like him at the time, but I didn't care either. As soon as he gave me a good excuse--which was to prove he was worthy enough to marry Zuri and failed--I banished him."

"But he was _Sengbe's_ son, wasn't he? He wasn't Titus."

"Let me finish. Sengbe hated me enough that I killed his brother in order to be allowed into that colony and taking over as leader instead of him, but I guess banishing his last living son was the straw that broke the camel's back. He wasn't strong enough to try to challenge me, so he left the colony to find Sly and make sure he didn't die the same way his siblings in the last litter died." Shomari exhaled through his nose. "His mate begged him not to go, but he left anyway. She soon began to get sick, dying of a broken heart. She asked for me at her deathbed."

"What did she say?"

"She said, 'I don't want to carry this secret to the grave, so I have to tell you something. Sylvester is _not_ our real son.'

I said, _'What?_'

'When I was missing, when I had my last pups, I was in a hole under a tree, and I heard a crying sound. I went to see and there was a pup outside, about the same age as my own pups. I snatched him before the Martial eagle in the tree could pick him up. I guessed the eagle had snatched him and dropped him when he landed in the tree. I didn't hear anyone calling for him or anything, so I assumed he was alone. I decided to keep him and raise him as my own.'

I said, 'And Sengbe didn't mind?'

'He would never approve of raising someone else's pup, from someone else's colony. You know how much he hates you. He would rather kill the pup. I couldn't let that happen to such a innocent creature.'

'So you're saying he doesn't even _know._'

'No. He _thinks_ Sylvester is his real son.'"

Ma sat back down, shocked and put a paw over her heart. Tears began to well up in her eyes. "So you're saying...?"

Shomari nodded. "When she said that... when she said Sly was not their real son... I began to suspect that it was true: they had raised their worst enemy's son." Shomari looked at her again. "When I first saw Timon, at first I suspected he was Sly, until I got a good look at him. He also looked like Fearless Buzz."

Ma put a paw to her mouth. "Titus. So he _was_ alive... Pete was right." She wiped her eyes and began to stand. "I _have_ to tell Timon."

Shomari put a paw on her shoulder and pushed her back down. "Panya, I think it's been enough of a shock already. Maybe you should wait until he comes to _you,_ so you'll know _he's_ ready to talk." He exhaled, "Besides, you know he gets moody when he hears about Zuri's old boyfriend. Why add to it now?"

"Shomari..." She exhaled and nodded. "I guess you're right. I'll wait until he's cooled off a bit."

"He can't stay mad at _you,_ you know that. You'll be combing his hair back the way you want it by morning. Come on, let's get you a drink and a bite." He helped her up and walked away.

Zuri was still standing there, listening. She had a paw to her mouth and tears streaming down her cheeks. _It _can't_ be true... Sly is... Sly is..._ She let out a whimper before she ran away from the area. She blindly ran forward until she bumped into someone, and fell onto her backside.

"Whoa!" Jina was sitting down and eating a piece of fruit when she felt someone bump into her. She stood and turned to see Zuri. "Oh, Zuri. I thought I was bitten or something." She blinked when she saw her friend's face and sat down in front of her. "Zuri...?"

Zuri didn't say anything. She just clung to Jina and continued to cry. Jina blinked once, and then put a hoof on Zuri's back, trying to comfort her. Zuri looked up at the warthog. "Jina..."

Jina smiled. "It's OK, Zuri. You don't have to tell me anything. Just let it all out." Zuri lowered her head down again and rested it against Jina's stomach, continuing to cry. Jina rubbed her back gently. "Let it all out."

_Present..._

Zuri continued to sit where she was, thinking. _Jina... _you_ don't even know, do you? And I tell you everything. But it makes sense now. I know why Timon and Sly are so similar._ She exhaled and stood, dusting herself off. She then began to walk towards the cave again.

After about twenty steps she froze in fear. A tall figure was standing before her with its front legs high in the air, posed to strike. She covered her head and waited for her last breath... until she realized nothing was happening. She uncovered her head and stared at the figure, a bit curious as to why it wasn't moving. She carefully walked towards it until she was close enough to touch it. She poked it once. It didn't flinch. She poked it harder... and her finger _broke_ its skin.

"What the--?" She took a piece of the broken skin and examined it. "_Clay?_" She climbed up the figure and examined it a bit more. The clouds rolling by finally uncovered the moon, which gave Zuri more light. She climbed to the top of the figure and noticed its front legs were actually made of clay. She punched through the clay and discovered they were held in place by sticks. The head of the creature was hollowed clay and had a nozzle attached to it to blow into. She looked down at the body of the creature. "It's just a dressed-up termite mound," she said to herself as she slid down to the bottom. She examined the inside of the mound and pulled out a snail shell that was filled with water. She blew over the top of it, which made a low bellowing note. "This is..."

_To be continued..._


	37. Interrogation

Look, I'm still alive! Sorry 'bout the long delay. I was having a hard time deciding where to place the next chapter and how I wanted the story to run from here on in. Still deciding on a lot, so bare with me. I decided we stayed away from the trio too long, so I'm starting the chapter with them. See ya soon! 

Chapter 37:

Kito would have slept through the night, had he not noticed the nest he was sleeping in was empty. He was used to sleeping in a full nest, using his parents' body heat to keep warm. It was cold in that nest, so he forced himself up. Looking around the cave, he didn't see anyone awake. He climbed over the nest and walked outside of the cave, rubbing his eye. He walked around the side of the cave where the warthogs and Morake were sleeping, and approached Bango and Morake.

Kito tugged on one of Morake's whiskers until the cheetah cub opened an eye to look at him. "I thought cheetahs were nocturnal," he said as he released the whisker.

Morake raised his head up and rubbed his whisker. "I don't know what that means, but _I_ sleep at night."

Bango, who was sleeping next to Morake, lifted his head up and yawned. He rubbed an eye with the back of his hoof. "What's the matter, Kito?"

"I got this bad feeling. I woke up and Mom wasn't in the nest, and I still don't know what happened to Dad," Kito said as he rubbed his paws together.

Bango turned his head to look where his parents were sleeping, noticing that Jina was gone and Pumbaa was fast asleep. "Uncle Timon should be around somewhere, since my Dad's back. But I wonder where Mom is."

"Probably getting a midnight snack or something. Why'd our Dads leave anyway? Did they go to see Uncle Simba or something?"

"Uh-uh," Morake spoke up. "They went to see Mr. Rafiki. Your dad thinks Rafiki made a mistake on the location spell, because he doesn't think Titus is in this colony."

Kito scratched his head, "That doesn't make sense."

"Yeah, we looked almost everywhere out here," Bango said before gulping. "Except _one_ place... and as far as I'm concerned this is the _only_ mob out here."

Kito blinked and looked at Bango. "One place?"

"Dad said it wasn't safe there. Remember he and Uncle Timon told us about all those places they were considering to live before they came to the oasis?"

"Uh-huh. There was Pride Rock, that spot by the watering hole near Pride Rock, the Elephant Graveyard, some green-lit cave with geysers and marching hyenas--"

"That's the one!" Bango interrupted.

"And he said that place wasn't _safe?_" Morake asked with an arched brow. "The way I heard it the hyenas ran off after Scar was overthrown. About the only _'danger'_ there are steaming geysers."

"That's what Mom said, but Dad didn't want to take any chances... besides, that monster thing might be hanging out in there."

"I don't know, Bango," Kito said as he scratched the top of his head. "Morake said it makes a lot of noise during the day. We've only heard it three times in the same hour today."

Morake blinked and swished his tail. "Yeah, that's true. What have the meerkats here said about that?"

"They haven't mentioned anything about it, really. Too afraid to find answers for themselves..."

"Oh, _please,_ Kito, don't you go around saying that fortune favors the brave stuff again. Every time you try acting brave something bad happens," Bango whimpered.

"Hey, some questions you want answered can't be answered by staying in one place. If no one else is going to figure out this mystery, _I'm_ gonna do a little spying."

Bango sarcastically arched an eyebrow and tapped his front hoof. "That's what got us in trouble in the first place, you know?"

Kito leaned forward against Bango's snout and furrowed his brow. "Yeah, and we found out Uncle Titus is _alive,_ didn't we? Now we just have to find him and we can get home. Now, what do you say?"

"You mean I have a _choice_ this time?"

"It's going to expire in about ten seconds."

Morake let out a loud yawn and rested his head against the outside of the cave. He began to close his eyes, but then reopened them and perked his ears. "Hold on a second."

Kito and Bango turned to Morake. "What?"

"I'm hearing something."

"Spy time," Kito grinned as he climbed on top of Morake's head and pressed his ear to the cave.

Bango shook his head and put his ear to the side. "When in Africa..."

Inside the cave Sengbe was approached by two of his spies. "Report. You don't smell of blood, so why aren't you watching that Zuri?"

"We have our limits of watching, Sengbe," the first spy said.

"_What?_"

"We followed her as far as Pride Rock, and then we back off," the second spy said.

"And what are you doing back _here?_ Go back and _watch_ for her! Sylvester is not here and I want to know what she's done with him! And what if she discovers the _Nunda?_"

The first spy grinned, "Why should we watch _her...?_"

"... When we can just as easily question her _brother_ right now?" the second spy finished as Sengbe's third spy pushed Sudi into the isolated portion of the cave.

Sudi grunted when he was pushed and tried to pull out of the third spy's grip. "Let go! What's this all about?"

"That's Uncle Sudi's voice," Kito whispered.

"What are they gonna do with him?" Bango whispered.

"I think they're gonna interrogate him," Morake whispered.

"Ahh, well done, boys," Sengbe said as he approached Sudi. He looked him over a bit, and then snorted. "The spitting image of Shomari." He slapped the meerkat. "I _hate_ Shomari."

Sudi growled, "Well, he wasn't that _fond_ of you either, pal! Now what--?" He grunted when Sengbe put a paw over Sudi's throat.

"_I'm_ asking the questions here, and I _expect_ answers! What has your sister done with my son? And I want the _truth!_"

"I don't know," Sudi managed to cough out.

Sengbe tightened his grip with a curled lip. "I'll ask you again."

"Keep quiet, Kito," Morake whispered when he felt Kito tightening his grip on Morake's head fur. "If they catch us listening in--"

"I'm _trying..._" Kito whispered through clenched teeth.

"_What_ has your sister done with my son?" Sengbe asked Sudi slowly.

"I have about as much control over what my sister does as you have telling Sly what to do," Sudi coughed. "So I don't know where they are."

"Sylvester has had no problem following my commands until _you_ lot appeared. And you would not have been allowed to stay had it not rained last night."

"What's _that_ suppose to mean?"

Sengbe tightened his grip on Sudi's neck briefly. "_I'm_ asking the questions. Now... why did you _really_ stay here?"

"We _told_ you. We're trying to find Timon's brother who's out here somewhere."

"I'll ask you again--"

"And you'll get the same answer! We're trying to find Timon's brother! Zuri is very sure he's somewhere in _this_ colony!"

"And I've told _you_ before, no one picked up a stray pup six years ago."

_That's what _you_ think, buddy,_ Sudi thought to himself.

"Since we're on the subject of Timon, I'll ask a question concerning him." Sengbe extended a claw in his free paw and pointed it at Sudi's face. "You've been interrupted every time you began to say whom Timon is the son of. So... whose son _is_ he?"

Sudi swallowed as best he could. "No."

"... _What?_"

"I won't tell you who his parents are," Sudi managed to say.

"Want me to break his leg, Sengbe? See if he'll tell us then?" the first spy asked as he cracked his knuckles.

"It wouldn't do _you_ any good! If I told you whose son he is, you'd go out and kill him. I know he and I don't exactly get along, but he makes my sister happy... happier than she ever was when she was with Sly. And I won't wreck it, not matter how much it hurts or what you threaten to do with me."

Sengbe looked at Sudi for a few moments, and then released his grip from his neck. Sudi coughed for a few moments. "So... his one or both of his parents were someone I hated?"

Sudi gulped when he realized he must've said too much. "I didn't say--!"

Sengbe grinned, "You _implied_ it. Now then, there are only two meerkats in this world I despise more than anyone else. Timon married your sister, so he wouldn't be Shomari's son. That only leaves one other..."

"You don't mean--?" the second spy began to say.

"Timon is the son of Fearless Buzz. Am I right, Sudi?" Sudi was silent as he glared at Sengbe. Sengbe grinned and patted Sudi's cheek. "I thought so. It's a pity you had to know so much." He turned to his spies. "Take him outside and make sure he doesn't talk. And then go find Zuri and make sure she doesn't stumble upon one of our little... _secrets._ I want her brought here, _alive._ After that... find the son of Fearless Buzz and bring him to me. I want the pleasure of killing the children of my both of my enemies myself."

The three spies nodded and took hold of Sudi as they drug him away with a paw over his mouth. When they reached the outside of the cave, Morake growled and pounced on all four of them, keeping them in place.

"Hey, what the--?!"

Morake leaned forward and bared his sharp, shiny teeth. "_Shh._ You guys gotta be _real_ quiet for me, 'kay?"

"Why should we? We were told you're an insectivore," one of the spies scoffed.

"Doesn't mean I don't sneak in a little red meat on the side. _Get it?_" He grinned his sharp grin, silencing the meerkats he had pinned.

Kito rushed over and began to pull Sudi out from underneath. "Are you OK, Uncle Sudi?"

Sudi grunted as he began to pull himself out from under the cheetah cub. "Fine, considering a _cheetah's_ sitting on me."

"Would you rather be dead?"

"Point taken," Sudi said as he pulled himself out. He stood and dusted himself off. "How did you kids--?"

"We uh, sorta listened without you knowing accidentally at first," Bango timidly said as he padded over.

"Well, I'm glad you did, otherwise I'd be playing a harp right about now." He finished dusting himself off and cleared his throat. "We've got to find Timon, Sly, and Zuri before Sengbe finds out about this."

"Why Mr. Sly?" Kito asked.

"I'll explain later."

"But where do we start looking? It's not like they all went together somewhere."

"Maybe not, but we at least know where Aunt Zuri is," Bango said as he picked Kito off of the ground and placed him on top of his head. "We're going to Pride Rock!"

Morake blinked at Bango. "Bango, what happened to_ you?_"

"Well... fortune favors the brave, doesn't it?" Bango grinned.

"_That's_ more like it!" Kito grinned.

"All right, all right, I'll let you two come along," Sudi said as he climbed onto Bango's back.

"_Really, _Uncle Sudi?"

"Well, it's only because your uncle Pumbaa sleeps so soundly it would take too much time to wake him up and fill him in." He turned to Morake. "You find place to hide those guys for the time being and tell Pumbaa about what's going on. If Timon, Sly, or Zuri come back tell them the situation."

"I can do that, Mr. Sudi," Morake saluted. With that, Bango took off running towards the Pride Lands with the two meerkats on his back.

_To be continued..._


	38. Ready for Answers?

Hello again. Sorry about the lateness again. I wasn't really feeling up to it and had no idea how I wanted to continue, where to set the scene up, stuff like that. Hopefully I can get enough ideas to get back on a regular schedule. UPDATE: Removed Rafiki's chant... I guess that counts as a lyric. 

Chapter 38:

"Your _**brother?**_" The events in the Outlands had just taken place, but some time had passed since Sly had run from away from Timon and Jina, now afraid to find the answers that he seek. Jina had just heard Timon's theory about the connections between his dream and Sly's. She couldn't believe it. "You think _Sly_ may actually be _Titus?_"

"Well, it _can't_ be a coincidence that we both had the same dream... and now that I think about it, he _does_ remind me of Dad," Timon said, who was leaning his weight against the big rock.

Jina blinked and then rubbed her chin. "Makes sense. Zuri _did_ mention to me that when she first saw you she thought you were Sly. And, I have to admit, I agreed with her. There's a few differences in coloring and the number of stripes, but you do look like him."

Timon snorted softly and folded his arms over his chest. "I just don't see it."

Jina softly giggled as she padded closer to him. "Oh, come on, Timon. Panya always tells me how you were and how you grew up to be so much like Buzz. And you yourself just said Sly reminded you of him. But really... he reminds you of _yourself._"

Timon's eyes widened slightly, and then he exhaled. "Maybe you're right. But something's really nagging at me."

"What's that?"

"If Zuri mentioned that Sly has Ma's eyes, then that must mean she knows the connection between us. How could she know that we're brothers?"

"Beats me."

Timon blinked and glanced at her. "_Beats_ you? What do you mean by that?"

"It means I don't know."

"C'mon, Jina, you can tell me. Zuri tells you _everything,_ especially when she's mad at me or something."

"That's what's upsetting... if she _does_ know then she didn't tell _me._ Although..." Jina thought back to a few days ago, when Zuri ran into her and hugged her, crying. "There _was_ something that she was crying about, but she didn't end up telling me what it was all about."

Timon rubbed his chin briefly, and then glanced back at his father's grave. "Sly ran away so he wouldn't get the answers... but I want to _confirm_ some of those answers."

"But Zuri's all the way back in the Outlands," Jina said as she tilted her head slightly. "And what about Sly?"

"Look, you stay here and wait for him to get back, then head back to the Outlands. I'll go on ahead and get some answers from Zuri."

Jina nodded slowly, "All right, Timon, but be careful. That creature in the Outlands probably likes to hunt at night."

"That's the least of our worries, Jina. Now you stay put and wait for Sly to come back here. I'll see you later." With that Timon set off towards the Outlands. Jina grimaced as she watched in the direction Sly went in, hoping to see him return soon.

_Meanwhile..._

Sly was sitting at the edge of a watering hole in the desert.

(_A/N:_ To those who have read my past work, yes, this is the same watering hole Timon came across in _Son of Fearless Buzz._ Thanks for noticing.)

He had his knees hiked up to his chest, his arms folded on top, and his forehead resting on his arms. It had been a very long night, and he was dizzy with confusion and questions. He thought he was ready for the truth, but in the end, he ran away. And that stupid Timon was trying to scare him. He sighed and raised his head up, rubbing his eyes.

"What am I doing?" he asked himself as he ran a paw through his hair. He glanced at his reflection in the water and blew some air out of his mouth. "Stupid Timon, trying to freak me out like that. I _know_ where I came from." He rested his chin on his arms and closed his eyes, trying to forget. He growled softly when he heard an annoying chant being sung.

Sly opened his eyes and furrowed his brow as he looked to see the source of the chant. Rafiki chuckled as he approached the meerkat. "You're a very hard act to follow, boy!"

Sly turned his attention back to his reflection. "Tch. Beat it, chimp. Can't you tell when a guy wants to be alone?" He yelped when Rafiki gave him a light smack with his staff. Sly growled and rubbed his head. "Hey!"

"And who says you want to be alone, Sylvester, when what you _really_ want are answers? And I am the one who may supply them to you."

Sly blinked and stood, confused. "Wha...? How...?" He gathered himself up a bit as he turned to face the baboon. "How do you know my...?" He blinked when he noticed Rafiki was no longer standing where Sly thought he was. "... Name?" He looked around and found Rafiki behind him. "OK, old man, if there's _one_ thing I know I want, it's that I don't want creepy monkeys creeping me out! I got enough of that from this one guy earlier!"

Rafiki leaned his weight on his staff and smiled, nodding. "Ahh, yes. You're referring to Timon. He's not known for his creepiness. Stubbornness and laziness, yes, but not creepiness."

Sly went to open his mouth, and then he closed it, once again confused. "You know him?"

"Very well. His father has asked me to keep watch over him, point him down the right paths to reach his destiny: to befriend a lonely warthog, his very first friend, who would help him to save the current King from death as a cub, and live on in his father's legacy to become a savior to his people."

Sly stared at Rafiki for a moment. "Are you sure we're talking about the _same_ Timon here, chimp?"

"The Timon we both know is a meerkat, has brown eyes, red hair, and five stripes on his back, yes?" Sly nodded. "Then I speak of the same Timon."

"_Uh-huh..._ And what about his father's legacy? Who was his father?"

Rafiki arched a brow and turned his back on the meerkat. "Are you sure you want the answers this time, boy? The last time you ran away."

"Look, I'm asking questions about Timon, not about myself. So _who_ was his father?"

Rafiki suddenly appeared behind Sly, pushing his finger against the back of his head. Sly turned to see what it was, and the finger pushed against his nose. "When you ask questions about Timon, it is not very long before it concerns questions about yourself. So, are you sure you want the answers this time?" Sly was silent for a moment, thinking hard. He pushed Rafiki's finger from his nose, took a deep breath, and nodded. "Good answer! Now, you follow old Rafiki, he knows the way!" With that, Rafiki began running.

Sly sputtered for a moment before Rafiki took off. He then regained himself and ran after him. "Hey, chimp, slow down! I've got short legs!" He grimaced as he only heard Rafiki's chant ahead of him.

_To be continued..._


	39. The Answers

You are correct, Took-Baggins! That last chapter was short, basically because it was getting off-focus to stay in one whole chapter, and by the time I got to page 6 I realized I had quite a ways to go. So, I cut up the chapters again. I've gotten into a habit of doing that, haven't I? Heh heh heh... oy, I need hot chocolate. While I enjoy this cup, you read this chapter, one of which I've been wanting to do for some time! It's still long... but it's a good one! 

Chapter 39:

Sly ran after Rafiki through the desert for a good five or ten minutes until he noticed Rafiki had stopped running and had gotten into a meditation pose. He panted and dropped from exhaustion. "Could I... get a lift next time?"

"I do not carry passengers," Rafiki replied in monotone.

Sly grimaced at the baboon, and then he noticed a figure standing over him. "It's about time you got back here, Sly. I was about to fall asleep," Jina said with a yawn.

Sly forced himself to sit up and swallowed. "Jina?" He took a moment to realize where they had been running. He noticed they had returned to Timon's former tunnel system. As he looked around, he noticed that he, Rafiki, and Jina were the only ones present. "Where's Timon at?"

"He asks so many questions for such a small creature," Rafiki said to himself.

Sly grimaced and stood, furrowing his brow at Rafiki. "OK, so I ask a lot of questions! When I was growing up people told me that was a _good_ thing!" He rubbed his forehead and sighed. "And no one's been answering the questions, so I'm getting such a migraine." He looked to Jina and pointed at Rafiki. "_Please_ tell me you know who this guy is."

Jina glanced over at Rafiki and nervously smiled, nodding. "Um, yeah. That's Rafiki, the baboon shaman of the Pride Lands."

Sly squinted one eye and glanced at the baboon in question. "_That's_ Rafiki? Hmm. I guess I was expecting him to be a little more muscular and having a mystic aura surrounding him 24-7."

"Look beyond what you see," Rafiki opened an eye and smiled.

"And answering your previous question, Sly, Timon headed back towards the Outlands to talk to Zuri about some things," Jina continued.

Rafiki opened his other eye and furrowed his brow. "So he _did_ leave again? _Stubborn_ boy, that son of Fearless Buzz."

That caught Sly off-guard. "Son of _**who?**_"

"Oy," Jina slapped a hoof over her eyes. "That's _not_ the way I would've told him, Mr. Rafiki."

"But effective, no?" Rafiki smiled as he stood.

Sly rubbed his forehead, feeling another migraine coming on. "Timon's the son of _Fearless Buzz?_ That-That _can't_ be right. I've seen portraits of Buzz and they don't look anything alike!"

"Apparently there have not been very good artists to create Fearless Buzz's portraits, or you have not looked carefully at the face enough. Either way, it is true..." Rafiki motioned to the grave set next to the large rock. "Timon is the eldest son of Fearless Buzz."

Sly squinted his eyes slightly, still trying to believe it. "_Fearless Buzz?_"

"If it makes you feel any better, a lot of us didn't believe that he was Buzz's son when we first met him either," Jina said with a nervous grin.

"I knew Timon and Zuri were lying about some things, and maybe that's why they kept shutting Sudi up, but I didn't know why until now. _Geez,_ if Pop knew-"

"_Pop?_ Who is this 'Pop' you speak of?" Rafiki asked with an innocent smile.

"You know, that's what I call my father Sengbe, Pop. I mean, _geez,_ isn't it obvious?"

Rafiki paused a moment to listen to the rattling fruit attached to his staff as the wind blew. "Very well then." He nodded and then cleared his throat. "When one boy has two different fathers, no, it is not obvious." Sly's eyebrows jumped, and then wrinkled, confused once more. Jina blinked. "But then when you do not know about the first father, I suppose I do not blame you. Even the second father is unaware."

"What are you talking about, chimp?"

"You mean _you_ know, too, Mr. Rafiki?" Jina spoke up.

"I only know because his birth father told me himself," Rafiki motioned to the wind lightly rattling the fruit on his staff.

"_Birth_ father?" Sly then clicked his tongue and began to walk away from the two. "Oh. Yeah. _Right._ I get it now. My 'birth' father is made of fruit. Good one, chimp! I _know_ who my birth father is, so if you're not going to tell me the truth, then I'm going home." He blinked suddenly when Jina jumped in front of him.

"Sly, don't you understand? You _are_ home! Your family lived here once! _You_ lived here once!" she said in a near-desperate tone. "Besides, you haven't looked everywhere in your dream yet! You still have to look at the grass where you were with the other pup!"

"Grass is all the same to me, Jina. Not like I'll remember anything there," Sly said as he began to walk under Jina's belly. "Ooo, dead leaves. _Special._ Tch."

He stopped when Rafiki held his staff out in front of him, blocking his path. "Is it, Sylvester?"

Sly cringed at his full name and then pushed the staff away. He growled, "I know where I came from, and it's _not_ the Fearless Buzz colony!" He began to march away again.

"Sly, stop, _please!_" Sly did stop when he heard a choke in Jina's voice. He looked back at her to see her eyes tightly closed. "When you were still part of the colony, Zuri told me about you. She told me... no matter how much you were taught, you could never find hatred for Fearless Buzz. So why are you acting like you hate him now? Because you're afraid of the truth? Because you're afraid of what Zuri might know?"

"Jina, I..."

"Zuri came to me crying the other day, and I didn't know why! But I think it's because she found out the truth between you and Timon..." She swallowed hard before she shouted, "That _you_ are the second son of Fearless Buzz!"

Sly was stunned at her words, so stunned that he couldn't reply for several minutes. "Where would you get a stupid idea like _that?_ I mean, that's-"

Jina opened her eyes, now streaming with tears, and furrowed her brow. "Darn it, Sly, you are _not_ that slow! If you paid attention to your dreams, put aside what you think you know and who you think you are, then it _might_ all make sense!"

Rafiki stood to the side, listening to the two exchange words and also listening to the wind rattling the fruit on his staff. "Yes...? _Really._ Well, if you are certain it is still there..." A bit more rattling and Rafiki nodded. "Very well, I shall tell him." He called over to Sly, "Sylvester, go to this patch of grass you described in this dream of yours! You may find more answers!"

"Oh, yeah, uh-huh. Like I'm taking advice from a baboon that talks to fruit," Sly snorted and folded his arms in front of his chest. He felt the wind blow past, and his stubborn expression softened a bit. "Huh?" He stood there for a few moments as the wind continued to blow past his fur and ears. When the wind calmed, he looked towards the tall grass and walked towards it, past Jina and Rafiki.

Jina sniffled and wiped her face. "What's he doing?"

"He takes no advice from a silly baboon who talks to fruit, but he takes advice from wind," Rafiki replied with a smug grin.

Sly pushed some of the grass blades aside as he made his way to the small area he recognized from his dream. He mused, "Was so much bigger back then, wasn't it?" He knelt down to the ground and sighed deeply, suddenly at ease as the wind whistled through the blades of grass. He laid on the ground and closed his eyes, thinking. A nearby voice caught his attention.

"Don't stare at the sun, Timon. You'll get sunspots," the voice said.

Sly opened his eyes and sat up. "Timon?" He stood and pushed some blades of grass aside to look in the direction the voice was coming from, and softly gasped. He saw two meerkats set two meerkat pups to the ground and step to the side. Sly blinked. "Where did _they_ come from? I thought these tunnels were abandoned." He took a few steps back as the two meerkat pups rolled over towards him behind the grass and onto a pile of leaves. They didn't notice Sly, who was standing to the side and watching them, rubbing his chin. "Something familiar about this..."

His thoughts were interrupted when he heard someone shout, "Eagle! Everyone take cover!" Sly looked up to the sky and gasped as a Martial eagle began to swoop down towards him and the two pups with its talons posed to grab.

He heard the other meerkats screaming and running. He could especially hear one female's voice, "No, we can't go back under! My babies are still out here! _Timon!_ _Titus!_"

Sly looked at the two pups; one pup was throwing leaves up into the air while the other was standing on its back legs to grab one leaf that was dancing in the wind. He then looked up and saw the eagle was almost upon them. "Hey, kids, look out!" He dived to push them both out of the way... only to go straight _through_ them and take a mouthful of dirt. He quickly spat it out and wondered what was going on. He looked towards the pups and blinked. When he heard the eagle screech he covered his head and clenched his teeth. The pup that was on its back legs fell onto his backside, evading the eagle's talons. The other was not as lucky and was scooped up and carried away. When the danger wasover Sly crawled over to the surviving pup and went to touch him, only to have his paw go straight through. "What's going on here?"

"Timon! Titus!" the earlier female voice cried.

Sly quickly rose to his feet and dusted himself off. He watched as two meerkats came towards him and the pup, who was smiling and reaching for them. "I-I tried to help them, ma'am, but for some reason I..." He paused a moment to look at the mother's eyes. "Why do you...?"

"Timon, where's Titus?" the father asked.

"The eagle got him, sir! I..." Sly paused. "_Timon?_ What's going on here?"

"You _do_ realize whom you're asking, right?" the mother asked the father dryly as she bent over and picked the pup named Timon up.

Sly stepped in front of the two parents and waved a paw in front of their eyes. Neither reacted. "He couldn't have gotten far. Come on," the father said as he walked right through Sly. The mother followed. "Titus!"

"Titus!" the mother cried out.

Sly looked at his shaking paws, freaked out. "What happened? What's going on? Why can't I touch them? Why can't they hear me? They can't even _see_ me." He looked after the parents. "And _why_ do I feel like I used to know them?"

He gasped when the scenery around him suddenly melted away and grew into another territory. He was deeper into the desert and standing next to a tall tree. As he looked up at the tree he noticed a Martial eagle had begun to land in the tree. It had something in its talons. As the eagle landed it dropped what it was carrying in its talons. It was a small animal and it began to tumble down through the branches. It landed at the base of the tree in a pile of straw. As it began to cry Sly walked towards it, and gasped. It was the same pup that the eagle had taken from that colony. He went to say something, but then remembered he would only be hearing himself.

"Who's out there?" a voice from under the tree asked.

Sly gasped and took a few steps back. The voice was familiar. "_Mom?_"

A female meerkat poked her head out from a hole under the tree and caught sight of the pup. "Oh, you poor little thing! Where did you come from?" She quickly saw the eagle as it began to swoop down towards them, so she pulled the pup down under the tree with her. The eagle squawked and then took to the air once more.

Sly swallowed and poked his head into the hole. Inside were the mother, the pup, and three other pups. "Hey, those are my siblings. But where am I?"

"There, there, sweetie. I'll take care of you until your parents come find you. And if they don't..." The mother paused, and then sighed. "Sengbe wouldn't allow it, caring for another colony's pup. But you're such a sweet little thing." She brushed a paw over the pup's hair and softly sighed. "Of course, he's unaware how many pups I was suppose to have. If I don't tell him I found you rather than birthed you, then we'll all be fine. If I can't find your family, you can call me Mama." She chuckled softly and held the pup close. "And I think I'll call you... Sylvester."

"_What?_" Sly reached out towards her with a shaking paw. "That _can't_ be true. Mom... tell me it's _not true..._" An abrupt change in the scenery happened once more. Sly now found himself back at that meerkat colony, but it was later as the sun began to set. He wiped the mist from his eyes and sighed. He noticed someone coming out of the tunnel. It was the father, and he was walking towards the tall grass. Sly followed him. He pushed the blades of grass aside to see the father kneeling down to the ground and digging where he saw pup-sized paw prints in the dirt. To the side of him was a small doll. Sly tilted his head to the side, walked towards him, and knelt down to see the doll better. It was made of straw, twigs, and stone tied together and had a face painted on. It appeared to look like a meerkat pup. He jumped slightly when the father took the doll and set it down into the small hole he had dug.

The father then piled dirt over it, and patted the top, sighing. "Good-bye, Titus. We'll keep you in our hearts until we meet again."

Sly watched as the father rose to his feet, and noticed a tear on his cheek. The father then walked away. Sly looked down at the ground where the doll was buried. "This is creeping me out again. I must've fallen asleep. This is all _gotta_ be a bad dream."

"Some call it dreaming, but I prefer to call it a subconscious," a voice behind Sly said. Sly spun around to look at the source, and then blinked. Standing there was the father, with an older appearance. "You see, Sly, in a dream, you don't always have control of your actions. In a subconscious, you do."

"You mean you can see _and_ hear me?"

"I can feel you, too."

"So who are you?"

"Isn't it obvious?" the father asked. "I'm Timon's father."

"But I thought Timon's father was Fearless Buzz."

"That's right."

Sly looked the meerkat over a bit, and then shook his head. "No, no, you _couldn't_ be him. He's dead."

"I am, but that doesn't mean I can't talk to you in your subconscious. Better than trying to get through to you with wind."

"So I _wasn't_ crazy. I _did_ hear a voice in the wind!" Sly paused, and then rubbed his forehead. "OK, that's just creeping me out again. I'm standing here talking to a _dead_ guy. Can you do me a favor and wake me up, pal? I'd like to get back to reality."

Buzz lowered his head and grinned. "Hmm. No matter who raised you, stubbornness seems to run in the family." He raised his head up again and walked towards Sly. "Didn't _anything_ you just watched ring any bells?"

"Uh..." Sly began to say something different, but then some thoughts came up. "Well... some of those _did_ seem familiar. It was like I was watching a dream from a different point of view." His eyes widened. "Wait a second. That _was_ the dream I've been having!"

"That's right. Your dream was actually a memory trying to resurface. Because you were a pup in the dream you weren't fully aware of everything. Doing it this way you could see and understand everything as an adult." Buzz noticed Sly was looking away from him, so he put a paw under his chin and turned to face him. "Do you understand?"

Sly was silent for a few moments. "You're trying to say that I am your son."

Buzz smiled, "That's right."

Sly took a few steps away from him. "But how do I know _this_ isn't just another dream? How do I know _you_ didn't just fabricate that memory with my mom to confuse me? How can I be sure _any_ of this ever happened? How can I be sure that my name is really Titus and that you're my birth father?" Buzz arched an eyebrow, to which Sly cleared his throat. "I mean, besides the fact that you kinda look like me. If this is a dream, it's not real solid evidence that I'm not Sengbe's son."

Buzz looked at him for a moment, and then took a few steps closer and put a paw on Sly's head and ruffled his hair. "If you can't trust _me..._ then trust your _heart._"

Sly's eyes snapped opened and he sat up. He found himself back in the tall grass at night, alone. He rubbed his eyes, "So I _did_ fall asleep." He stretched and yawned. "So much for sure-fire answers. It's been a very long night." He was about to stand to stretch some more when he noticed the wind was circling around a small spot in front of him, shifting the dirt around. Sly shook his head and then rubbed it, "I don't know why I'm worrying about the wind so much. It's just wind, right? So what if it's circling me like a vulture?" He chuckled and began to stand again, but stopped when the wind past his ears.

_"I thought you weren't afraid of learning the truth,"_ Buzz's voice in his head said.

Sly spun around, trying to find the source of the voice. "What? Where are you?"

_"Do you trust your own eyes?"_ the voice asked, ignoring the question.

"I..." Sly sighed and rubbed his forehead. "I'm not sure what to trust anymore."

_"Then dig."_

Sly looked at the spot of ground in front of him where the dirt had been circling and began to dig in the center of it. It was only after a moment that he hit something. He brushed some dirt out of the way and paused. With lightly shaking paws he reached in and pulled out the thing that was buried. It was the doll that Buzz had buried in his dream... or _was_ it a dream? The piece of vine that was holding the doll together was all but worn out from the years underground and neglect. But Sly felt some kind of connection and affection towards it. He held it close to him and closed his eyes.

"So that's it. You're saying everything I thought, everything I am... is a _lie._"

_"Your words, Sly. Not mine,"_ Buzz's voice said. _"Your mother, the one you grew up calling mother, was the only one who knew the truth, at least until she told Shomari at her deathbed."_ Sly felt the wind gently brush up against him. _"Now that you know the truth, what change is there in you now? From the colony of your birth father or the colony of Sengbe you are the same meerkat. The same paws, the same arms, the same face that was yours a moment ago. The only change was the name from Titus is Sylvester."_

"I'm not fond of _that_ name either," Sly snorted slightly.

_"Titus means 'Defender,' and I gave you that name because that's what I thought you would become one day. Tell me I was kidding myself when I gave you that name."_

"I'll tell you what's changed... I thought Sengbe was my father, the only blood I had. But now I know he isn't, and I _am_ alone," Sly bowed his head and clutched the doll he was holding. "And if the colony found out... Where do I belong? I'm still figuring that out."

_"When you determine your true family, you'll find where you belong."_

"Tch. _What_ family?"

_"Timon is your full-blood brother, and your birth mother still lives. Besides..."_ Sly raised his head up when he felt the wind ruffle his hair in the same manner Buzz did in his subconscious. _"Blood is not what makes family. It's the love you have for the ones you care for. The question is... are you going to abandon them?"_

Sly blinked once, and then exhaled, looking down at the doll in his paws.

_To be continued..._


	40. The Next Move

Back again. Sorry again for the lateness. Still deciding on stuff, as I've said, and chapter delays are expected. So, be patient, and I'm sure you won't be disappointed. Read on! 

Chapter 40:

Bango yawned as he trotted towards Pride Rock with Kito and Sudi riding on his back. "And I thought I was going to _catch up_ on my sleep..."

"Relax, Bango. When we find Uncle Timon, Aunt Zuri, and Sly we'll camp out at Pride Rock and rest there before we head back home to the oasis," Sudi said as he gave Bango a pat on the head.

"_Home?_ But what about Uncle Titus? We can't just leave without finding him," Kito spoke up.

"We already did, pup."

"_What?_" both Kito and Bango asked.

"I'll explain it later. Right now..."

"But you said that earlier. Isn't it later yet?"

Sudi blew some air out of his mouth and rolled his eyes slightly. "Kito, by 'later' I mean..." He stopped when he looked over towards a log and saw something small walking along it. "Hang on. Bango, head over there. I see something."

"But Uncle Sudi, what about...?" Bango began.

"Just go!" Bango shrugged and trotted over to where Sudi instructed. As they drew closer they could hear a female humming. Sudi grinned, "I thought so..."

"Hey, that sounds like Mom," Kito said as he pushed Sudi's head down to see. "But what's she doing here?"

"This is where we lived when your dad met your mom, Kito. Your mom liked spending her time balancing on that log and singing to herself," Sudi said as he pushed his head back up.

"Then why's she here instead of Pride Rock?"

"I'll ask!" Bango cheerfully said as he padded over towards the log.

Zuri was walking along the log, balancing and humming to herself, but she stopped when she heard some rustling in the tall grass nearby. She dropped down onto her stomach and clung onto the aging log. _And I thought humming wouldn't draw attention... _she thought to herself. She gulped and closed her eyes as something pushed through the grass.

"Aunt Zuri!"

Zuri opened an eye, then the other, and blinked a few times when she found herself facing a warthog's snout. "Bango?" She sat up when she noticed the two passengers on his back. "Sudi, Kito?"

"Mom!" Kito climbed over Bango's head, then over his snout, and jumped onto the log, rushed to his mother and hugged her. "I'm so glad you're OK! Those bad spies didn't get to you!"

Zuri blinked once more as she put her arms around Kito and then turned to her brother Sudi. "Spies? Did he have a bad dream or something?"

Sudi jumped over Bango's head and landed on the log. "I wish he did. Where are Timon and Sly?"

"You mean they're not back in the caves?" Zuri looked worried.

"No, and Sengbe was asking a lot of questions concerning where Sly was. Listen, Zuri, we have to find them and Jina, pack up, and get out of here quick!"

"Why?"

"Mr. Sengbe knows about Grandpa Buzz!" Kito said as he pulled himself away from Zuri. "And he wanted his spies to find you and Dad and kill you!"

"_What!_" Zuri turned to Sudi and furrowed her brow. "You didn't tell him about Buzz... _did_ you, little brother?"

Sudi gulped, "Well, he _did_ drag me in there and tried to interrogate me into tell him where you took Sly and who Timon's father was." He held his paws up in defense when his sister growled. "Take it easy, would ya! I didn't tell him it was Buzz! I only said if I told him he'd go out and kill Timon, and he figured it was someone he hated. He just went for the top two on his list, which are Dad and Fearless Buzz! I didn't say anything else, I swear!"

Zuri looked at her brother for a moment with an arched brow. "I don't know if I believe you. You and Timon aren't exactly the best of friends, and I can't exactly see you defending him after what you did earlier tonight." Sudi winced slightly at that.

"But Kito, Morake, and I overheard the whole thing, Aunt Zuri! He stood up for Uncle Timon," Bango said.

"He did," Kito nodded.

Zuri grimaced slightly. "Well... Sengbe interrogated you and he didn't try to have you killed afterwards?"

"He did, actually, but like Bango said, the kids were listening in and Morake pounced on Sengbe's spies."

"You mentioned spies before. What were they doing?"

"Watching you without you knowing?" Kito asked with a nervous grin.

"Probably thinking you'd lead them to where Sly is, but stopped following when you went to Pride Rock." Sudi rubbed his chin. "They mentioned something about the _Nunda_ and the only reason we were allowed to stay was because it rained last night. I don't understand why."

"That's one of the reasons I didn't return to the caves," Zuri said. "Because the meerkats there are hiding the fact that all the creature is, is noise."

"_What?_"

"What are you saying, Mom?" Kito asked.

"I'm saying the _Nunda_ isn't real. It's just a dressed up termite mound. They used sticks and branches to make the arms looking like it's set to kill. They used mud and clay to make the skin and head. And the roar is made from wind blowing over some empty and water-filled shells, and there's a nozzle near the top for someone to blow into the make the roar."

"You mean the Outlands mob is using a fake monster to keep predators and rogues away?" Sudi asked with wide eyes.

"_Three_ fake monsters, actually. I went looking through the Outlands and found two additional 'monsters,' each facing a different direction and isolated from the others, making it sound like more than one. Although there could be more out there."

"And no one's ever seen these up close?" Bango asked.

"I'm guessing the roar is enough to keep anyone far enough away from getting closer to see how poorly made the creatures are. From a distance you can't tell."

"I can vouch for that." Bango shuddered, remembering the roar. "But then why didn't we see any of them today when we were looking for Uncle Titus, or when we first arrived?"

"Because it rained last night," Sudi said with a look of realization on his face. "Mud and clay doesn't hold up in rain, so by the time _we_ got there, there was only termite mounds with mud and sticks next to them!"

"So that's why there were sticks and shells in that one termite mound," Bango said, recalling their discovery earlier that day.

"And that's why those meerkats, Sengbe's spies, went out with the water, to repair them. Wow."

"They didn't tell us about it, and I don't want to know what they'll do if we knew," Zuri said.

"They can't hurt us. We've got big friends," Kito grinned.

"Even so, Kito, we don't know everything about them. Who knows if they have big friends themselves? It's dangerous to be around that colony now, so we have to get the others and find Timon and Sly fast," Zuri said as she pounded a fist into her paw.

"How are we going to find them?" Kito asked. "We don't even know where they went."

Zuri put a paw on Kito's head and smoothed his hair down a bit. "I don't know, sweetie." She looked to Sudi. "What did Pumbaa say?"

Sudi blinked. "Pumbaa?"

"Yeah, you know, red warthog, sensitive stomach, Timon's best friend. He usually knows what Timon's doing." She furrowed her brow slightly. "You mean you _didn't_ talk to him before you went to find me?"

"Well, we were more concerned about finding you and Timon, since Sengbe wants to see what color your insides are. And Pumbaa's a very sound sleeper and I didn't have the patience to wake him up. Pumbaa and Morake could take care of themselves anyway," Sudi said with a small gulp. "Besides, if I talked to Pumbaa, do you think I'd still be riding on a piglet?" He jerked his thumb over at Bango.

Zuri rubbed her forehead. "Point taken. All right, let's quietly make our way back to the Outlands and get Pumbaa and Morake." She paused a moment before asking, "Wait, Pumbaa and Morake? What about Jina?"

"Wasn't there," Bango said.

"You mean we're short two meerkats _and_ a warthog? Oy!" Zuri grunted as she slapped a paw over her eyes.

"Maybe they all went somewhere together?" Kito said with a blink.

"I doubt it. Neither of those two meerkats can say two words without getting the other one ticked. My guess is Timon, stubborn as always, went find Titus on his own, sleep or no sleep, so we could go home quicker."

"But we looked everywhere in the Outlands... except..." Bango began, and then gulped. "The hyenas' geyser cave."

Zuri and Sudi looked at Bango, and then each other. "He wouldn't..." the brother and sister both said. A moment of thinking and then they sighed, "He would."

"We're not _seriously_ going there, are we, Aunt Zuri? It's full of hyenas over there!" Bango whimpered.

"Hey, what happened to that 'fortune favors the brave' attitude you had earlier?" Kito asked.

"I think it fell out of my pocket on the way over here."

Sudi walked over to Bango and patted him on the snout. "Relax, Bango. The hyenas ran off months ago. We shouldn't run into any problems over there."

"We should at least get Pumbaa and Morake. I'd rather have them with us than alone with that other colony," Zuri said as she dropped down from the log and helped Kito down.

"Great! This'll be fun!" Kito grinned.

"You're weird," Bango said, shaking his head.

"Oh, no you don't. You and Bango are going to Pride Rock and staying with Uncle Simba until we get back," Zuri said as she grabbed the end of Kito's tail as he began to climb onto Bango's back.

"Aww, _why?_"

"For your own safety, and to keep a look out for Aunt Jina. Understand?" Kito grimaced and nodded. "Good. And to make sure, we're taking you there first."

"Yay," Bango said with a relieved expression. A glare from Kito made him say, "I mean, boo."

_To be continued..._


	41. Hard Place

OK, so I'm 'bout two weeks overdue, but I have an excuse this time! My Dad found a new favorite message board to sell his archery stuff (must be afraid of eBay), and he keeps kicking me off whenever he gets home while I'm trying to work. To annoy me even more he gives Ma and me his cold! Wasn't well enough to stay on the computer to work for very long. Anyway, now I can breathe through my nose again and I'm gonna try working! 

Chapter 41:

The sky began to change from dark blue to light, signaling that the night would come to an end soon. It had been a very long night, as a few certain meerkats and warthogs have yet to have a full night's sleep. Pumbaa and Morake were walking through the Outlands with Zuri and Sudi on Pumbaa's back.

"Oh, _wow._ I can't believe we've been fooled by sound effects! I thought the _Nunda_ was a real _predator!_" Morake said as he bounced ahead of Pumbaa, stopping for a moment for him to catch up. "I mean, for as long as I can remember it's been making noises out here, and all this time it isn't even_ real!_ Oh, I _wish_ I could tell someone, but almost everyone knows now!"

"I can't believe how he can be so awake just before dawn," Zuri, who was leaning against the back of Pumbaa's head, said as she rested her arms behind her own head.

"I can't believe how stubborn Timon can be," Pumbaa said with a furrowed brow. "He can't even wait until the sun comes up to look for his brother."

"I believe it," Sudi said with a big yawn. "I just hope we find him, Jina, and Sly soon so I can get some sleep myself."

"Sly and Jina? Hmm..." Pumbaa seemed to remember something about Jina and Sly, but he could not remember if he was dreaming it or not. He shook his head to clear it. "Anyway, are you _sure_ it's safe to go in there?"

"For the fiftieth time, Pumbaa, _yes!_ The hyenas ran off a long time ago," Zuri said as she leaned forward to look at him.

"Then where are they staying now?"

"Huh?"

"It was said that the hyenas ran off after Scar was defeated, but where did they go? They were seen in the Pride Lands nine months ago, remember? Are they staying somewhere nearby?"

"I've lived in the Pride Lands my whole life, and I've never seen a hyena... although that's not saying much since I'm just a cub," Morake said with an awkward grin.

"Maybe not, but Sly thinks he saw a hyena last night in the storm trying to eat Kito. Who knows? Maybe they've widened their hunting area," Sudi said with a shrug.

That's when they noticed the entrance to the hyena's cave. A green light emitted from inside. Pumbaa gulped and nervously smiled. "Maybe we should go somewhere else to look for Timon." He began to back away, until he felt he bumped into something.

Morake was suddenly behind him, and began to push against him. "And I thought Bango was a scaredy-hog. C'mon, Mr. Pumbaa, think of Mr. Timon. Fortune favors the brave after all."

Pumbaa looked back at Morake, took a deep breath, and then marched forward. "Fortune favors the brave, fortune favors the brave, fortune favors the brave..." he mumbled to himself as he watched Morake frolic forward. He gulped and then trotted to catch up with him.

"I'm getting a weird feeling..." Zuri said as she looked along the walls.

"A cave that glows green? I just hope we don't end up glowing in the dark," Sudi nervously chuckled to lighten the mood. He noticed his sister's dry look and cleared his throat. "Glow in the... it's a radiation joke."

"What's radiation?"

"I dunno. I just heard it from Timon."

Zuri snorted softly and folded her arms in front of her chest. "You're no Timon."

"And Timon's no comedian," Sudi retorted.

Pumbaa shook his head as the siblings continued to exchange words, and then he noticed Morake was sitting at the entrance to the larger part of the caves. He was taking the sights all in, examining it. Pumbaa padded up next to him and took a look. "Doesn't look like there's anyone here."

Morake lowered his head to the ground and took a few sniffs. He lifted it back up and swished his tail. "I can't tell anything." A moment passed, and then he yelled, "_**MR. TIMON!**_" Pumbaa, Zuri, and Sudi winced at the scream and the echo that reverted back to them. Morake was unaffected, so he merely blinked and continued to swish his tail. "Hmm. Maybe he didn't hear me." He took a deep breath to do it again when Zuri jumped onto his snout and pulled his mouth shut.

"Morake, I'm sure _Egypt_ heard you. I don't think Timon's here," she said. She removed her arms from around his mouth.

Morake tilted his head. "You don't think so? Then where could he be?"

Zuri put a paw to her forehead and shook her head. "I really don't know... maybe he did make it back to the colony."

"If that's the case, then we'd better get back there before Sengbe gets a hold of him," Sudi said.

Pumbaa was not listening to the conversation. He was looking straight ahead. "Zuh-Zuh-Zuh-Zuh..." His eyes were wide and his tail was straight up in the air. Sudi blinked and kicked Pumbaa in the back of the head, as if to fix him like a broken record player. "Zuh-Zuh-_Zuri!_"

Zuri let out an exasperated sigh and rolled her eyes slightly as she looked over to Pumbaa. "What is it, Pumbaa?"

Morake tried to look past Zuri, who was still on his snout and blocking his view. He lifted her off and placed her on the ground, and then gulped. He squeaked, "Mommy." Zuri and Sudi turned to see and stiffened.

Five hyenas appeared on an upper ridge above them and had noticed the four of them. The largest of the five stood in the middle. "Well, well. It's not often we get breakfast delivered. Someone must _love_ us," the largest hyena growled as he stared down at the warthog, cheetah, and meerkats.

"I thought you said the hyenas ran off," Pumbaa said, still in his previous shocked position.

"So did I," Morake said as he began to inch towards the exit. "I must've drawn their attention when I called for Mr. Timon."

"I want the warthog, Bintaka," one of the other hyenas said.

"Then I get the cub!" a second growled.

"Then what do _we_ get, the meerkat appetizers?" a third growled.

"You'll get the _scraps_ if you don't shut up!" the hyena named Bintaka snapped.

"Why do _you_ always get to decide who gets what?"

"Because I'm the biggest, that's why! And who said _you_ can have the pork?"

"Because _I _called it first!"

As the hyenas began to argue amongst themselves Pumbaa and Morake, with the meerkats on Pumbaa's back, began to run out of the cave. Bintaka quickly took notice. "Hey, our breakfast just became fast food! I'm not going to lose _two_ meals in under two days!" With that three of the five jumped down from the ledge and ran after them.

Morake took a quick glance back, gasped and then picked up the speed, leaving a dust trail as he ran ahead of Pumbaa. Sudi looked back and gulped as he pulled on Pumbaa's ears. "Make like Morake and speed up, Pumbaa!"

Pumbaa suddenly skid to a halt just before they reached the outside. "Uh-oh."

"Pumbaa, this is the exact opposite of speeding up! What's the matter now?" Zuri asked as she looked in the direction Pumbaa was facing. She gasped.

An older hynea blocked the exit. "Leaving so soon?" he asked.

Sudi took a look, and then looked back at the three hyenas who slowed to a trot at the sight of the older hyena. "Caught between a rock and a hard place. I can't believe how _lucky_ we are."

The older hyena took a few steps closer to Pumbaa, looking him over a bit. "You _should_ consider yourself lucky." He then turned to the three other hyenas. "Bintaka, stay here. You two, get that cub." The two hyenas nodded and then ran past the older hyena.

"Ahh, good thinking, Jumbe. Send _them_ away and there's more ham for _us,_" Bintaka said as he licked his chops.

"No, you idiot, we're not eating them yet!" Jumbe barked.

"We're not?"

"You're not?" Pumbaa asked nervously.

"Not when revenge is best served cold. I heard them call out the name Timon from outside."

"So?" Bintaka scoffed. A look of realization quickly spread across his face, and then he quickly shook his head. "It can't be the same one."

"But this _is_ the same warthog that was with him. I never forget a face _or_ smell."

"Uh, no, actually, I just have one of those faces!" Pumbaa shouted. "And it's this new cologne you smell. _Odeur de Warthog._ We all wear it now."

"Don't insult us. We know you are friends with the son of Fearless Buzz."

Bintaka walked around to the front of the warthog and stood next to Jumbe. "Oh, I see what you're saying. We wait until we find the son of Fearless Buzz before we eat. The look of despair on his face will be priceless."

"You... _you..._ slobbering, mangy _poachers!_" Zuri growled as she began to stand on Pumbaa's back, and was held back by Sudi. "What have you got against Timon?"

Bintaka looked right at her and snarled, "His tricks lead my father to his death."

Pumbaa gasped and backed away from him. "You don't mean...?"

Zuri's eyes widened. "_No..._ you _couldn't_ be. You're the son of...?" She was interrupted by the Nunda's bellowing roar accompanied by the sound of hyenas yelping.

Jumbe turned his attention outside. "It's up early," he grunted.

Bintaka sneered as he turned to look outside. "The one called 'Great' Timon is out there. I won't be afraid of this monster." He walked towards the exit, stopping just before stepping outside. "Keep an eye on those three and make sure no harm comes to them. I plan to save their pain for when I find the son of Fearless Buzz and bring him back here to watch his loved ones die." He looked back out towards the rising sun. "And I will finally avenge my father Mataka." With that he ran outside.

"He's going to find out about the _Nunda,_" Sudi whispered in Pumbaa's ear, but loud enough for Zuri to also hear.

Pumbaa's eyes widened. "No! What'll happen to the colony?" he whispered back.

Zuri gasped and put her paws to her mouth. "The colony! What if Timon _is_ back there?" Her eyes weakened. "Or Jina or Sly? And what happened to Morake?" She suddenly threw her arms around Sudi and hugged him tightly.

Sudi blinked, a little confused, but then put his arms around his sister. "Zuri...?"

"Oh, Sudi, I should've been honest with Timon and Sly to begin with! This is all my fault! If they die... If they die... I'll never forgive myself."

Sudi took a glance at Jumbe as he forced Pumbaa to head back into the cave. "I just hope somehow we make it out of this alive."

_To be continued..._

Action! Suspense! I'll try not to delay the chapters too much! See ya soon!


	42. Massacre

How's this? Got this done in under two days! I feel like I'm back in the old days. Oh, yeah! _Son of Fearless Buzz_ is now a year old! Yay! Happy belated birthday! Now read on! 

Chapter 42:

The sun began to rise as Morake raced across the Outlands with two hyenas gaining on him. He didn't know about it, though. He didn't even know Pumbaa was not right behind him. The only thing on his mind was to keep running until his body gave out. It had almost reached its limit when the _Nunda's_ bellowing roar was heard up ahead. The hyenas yelped and turned tail, heading back in the direction they came from. Morake, forgetting that the _Nunda_ was fake, turned and ran towards the Pride Lands.

_Meanwhile..._

Timon was walking with his head down low and his eyes closed. He suddenly tripped over a small rock and landed flat on his face. "Ouch! Ow, ow, _ow!_" He sat up, opened his eyes, dusted his face off, and rubbed his toe. "That was _really_ dumb! But I guess that's what I get for sleep walking to make the time go faster; I trip over something and hurt myself." He winced when he rubbed his toe. "It'll only hurt for a minute." He blew some air out of his mouth and looked towards the Outlands. "No time to waste. I gotta talk to Zuri and get some straight answers about Sly." He began to stand when he noticed something large and furry running towards him. He screamed and ducked back down to the ground.

Morake skid to a halt when he realized he was about to run over a smaller animal. He sat right down in front of the meerkat and panted heavily. "M... Mr. Timon?"

Timon opened his eyes and uncovered his head at the sound of his name. He looked up to see who was in front of him. "Morake?" He jumped to his feet and winced, lifting his right foot up a bit. "_Ow!_ _Pain!_ I have a low tolerance for pain!"

Morake frowned. "I di... I did not to... touch you. Don... Don't say I h... hurt you."

Timon shook his paw in a dismissing manner. "No, no, no, I just tripped over that rock there." He jerked his thumb to the object in question. "The pain'll go away in a minute. So why are you so out of breath?"

Morake swallowed and tried to regain a voice. "Cave... night... big... teeth... _Nunda_...!"

Timon glared slightly and imitated his speech. "You... making... no... sense! Spit it out!" He quickly jumped back when Morake was about to spit on him, and fell onto his backside. "Not on _me!_"

"Sorry." Morake swallowed again and regained a bit more breath. He then began to retell the events of the last few hours... unfortunately he was so excited he was retelling it too quickly for Timon to understand, so Timon had to jump up and clamped the cheetah's mouth closed to get a word in.

"Morake, I know you're a cheetah, but you're going 70 words per minute in a 35 WPM zone. Now... in words I can understand... tell me what's going on." Morake said something in a muffled tone, since Timon still had his mouth clamped shut. Timon quickly realized and dropped back down. He winced softly and leaned some weight on his left foot. "Sorry. Now go ahead. Were you chased by the _Nunda_ just now?"

Morake suddenly smiled. "Oh, yeah, you don't know, do you? The _Nunda_ isn't real! It's a big dressed up termite mound stuffed with shells! The colony's been using a fake monster to keep predators and rogues away!" He suddenly slapped himself in the forehead. "I forgot it was fake a minute ago while I was running for my life! Stupid, stupid, _stupid!_"

Timon stared at the cheetah in brief shock, and then pounded his paw into his fist. "I _knew_ it! I knew something was wrong about that monster ever since we got there! They didn't sound off the _Nunda_ alarms while we were there because we'd figure it out and spread the word!"

"So where have _you_ been? We've been looking for you."

Timon leaned over and rubbed his toe. "I, uh, went somewhere with... 'we?'"

Morake blinked, "Who's We?"

Timon rubbed his temples. "No, you said 'we' first. You were looking for me with who?"

"Oh..." Morake looked towards the Outlands and blinked. "That's weird... I thought they were right behind me." He took a few steps back towards the Outlands and shouted, "Ms. Zuri! Ms. Zuri!"

Timon blinked, "Did he say just say Missouri in a weird way?" He quickly shook his head. "No, wait, he said Zuri!" He began to walk towards him, but then quickly fell forward at the pain in his toe. He held out his arms to keep from eating dirt. "_Yeowch!_" He sat down and rubbed his toe again. "Morake, you were with Zuri?"

Morake turned back around and looked a little worried. "And Mr. Pumbaa and Mr. Sudi. We were looking for you. We thought you were looking for Mr. Titus in the only place we didn't look yesterday."

"The hyenas' geysers cave? I wouldn't go there by myself! Even _I_ have my limits." He suddenly paused. "Uh... why aren't you with them now then?"

"We were running from hyenas. I guess I outran them all. Cheetahs tend to do that," Morake awkwardly smiled. "Maybe they remembered that the _Nunda_ isn't real and just headed back to the colony."

"_**Hyenas!**_ There aren't supposed to be any hyenas around here! What are they...?" Timon yelped and ducked under Morake's stomach when the _Nunda's_ roar was heard again.

Morake bent over and looked at the meerkat. "It's not real, Mr. Timon, remember?"

Timon lifted his head up, which pushed against the cheetah's underbelly. "Fake. Right. Knew that. I was just, uh... counting the spots on your stomach. One, two, three..." Morake jumped to the side as Timon began to count. "Hey, you want to make sure you didn't drop one in the chase, don't ya?" He smacked himself in the forehead. "The chase! Morake, we don't have time to count your spots! We gotta make sure Pumbaa and Zuri are OK! Let's go to the cave!" He glanced at Morake staring elsewhere. "Morake, are you listening?" He grimaced when he received no response, so he climbed to the top of the cheetah's head to see. About a hundred yards away they could see a group of lions running towards the Outlands.

"The colony's in _real_ trouble now. If the _Nunda's_ roar doesn't scare them off, they'll get eaten by lions!" Morake whimpered.

"No, wait, I know those lions." Timon rubbed his chin briefly. "But why would Simba...?" He snapped his fingers. "Oh, _yeah!_ Last night I told him if he heard that roar again to go investigate. We'd better go straighten this out before he does something rash." He slid down Morake's side and landed on his feet, to which he yelped once more. "_Yeow!_" He hopped on his left foot and rubbed his right. "Toe! Pain!"

"Cool dance. Can I try?" Morake asked as he swished his tail.

"I'm not dancing. My toe's killing me!"

"It's taking a long time for that pain in your foot to stop hurting."

"I must've broken something when I tripped. You're gonna have to carry me." Timon climbed back onto Morake's back. "Just head to the Outlands as fast as you can without tiring."

"'Kay." With that Morake took off.

_A few minutes later..._

The lions had just chased off a small pack of hyenas and were surveying the damage. There were signs of a massacre. The nearby termite mound the colony used as the _Nunda_ was smashed to pieces. Clay, sticks, and shells scattered everywhere. The colony's cave was hardly recognizable. The inside was not pleasant either.

Kovu pushed a paw through the scattered termite mound. "So _this_ is what was making that noise," he said.

"Who would've thought all this time that animal wasn't even _real?_" Kiara asked as she walked over next to Kovu. "And that _meerkats_ were behind it?"

Simba walked to the entrance of the cave and called inside. "Is anyone there? Timon? Pumbaa?" He backed away and began to pace. "I _knew_ we should've come here last night. So many lives were lost because we delayed. If Timon and Pumbaa are..." He couldn't bring himself to say it.

"Simba, if they were here, we'd have found their bodies," Vitani said as she walked up to Simba. "I'm sure they're all right."

"I hope you're right, Vitani," Kiara said with a small gulp. Kovu rubbed his face against Kiara's to try to calm her down. She lightly returned it. "What would we do with Kito and Bango if...?"

"Simba!"

All heads turned towards the voice as it raced towards them. Simba smiled and sighed in relief when he saw Timon riding a cheetah cub towards them. "Timon."

Morake slowed down when he saw the damage, finally stopping next to the damaged termite mound in shock. Timon's mouth hung open as he looked around the area. "_No..._" He slid down Morake's side, landing on his good foot, and grabbed a broken stick from the pile of clay and sticks that was about his size and used it like a crutch. He walked towards the lions. "What happened?"

"Hyenas. They already took off," Kovu said, motioning in the direction the hyenas ran off.

"They must've somehow found out about the _Nunda_ and attacked," Morake said with a light pant.

"Any survivors?" Timon asked in a desperate tone.

"So far we haven't found any yet, but then we _did_ just get here," Vitani shrugged.

Timon looked towards the cave and walked as fast as the crutch would allow. He walked inside of the cave and glanced around. "Is anyone alive? It's me, Timon! The hyenas are gone, you're safe now! The lions are with me, so they won't hurt you!" He looked around with a desperate expression when he received silence. "Please? Zuri? Sudi? Kito? _Anyone?_" He lowered his eyes and dropped down to a nearby nest, putting a paw over his face. He sat there for a minute, until he suddenly caught the scent of blood approaching him, followed by some footsteps from behind. He took hold of his crutch and swung it at the intruder, who caught it in his paws.

Sengbe had a strong grip on the crutch, a cut above his eye, and an angry expression. "**You show your face around here again after what happened?**" he growled as he attempted to pull the support away from Timon, who tried to take it back. "**It's _your_ fault this happened!**"

"I don't know what you're talking about! I've been gone since late last night!"

"The hyenas came for _you!_ They called for you by name!" Sengbe snatched the crutch from Timon and tripped him, forcing Timon to fall onto his back. Timon was about to stand until Sengbe crawled on top of him and pressed the crutch against his neck. "If you had not come here we'd still be living a life of solitude with our Beasts of Prey and Sylvester would not object to his marriage to Yasmin!"

"Sengbe, you don't understand...!" Timon coughed.

"I understand enough...** _son of Fearless Buzz._**" Timon's eyes widened, and then he gasped when the pressure against his neck became greater and clenched his teeth tightly as he tried to push the crutch from his throat.

A few meerkats ran over and pulled Sengbe off and away from Timon. "Sengbe, that's enough!"

"Don't try to stop me! He's the son of one of my worst enemies!"

"Exactly why he might be able to help us avenge the rest of the colony!" a second meerkat said. Sengbe stopped struggling, but they kept the grip on him. Sengbe kept his expression.

Timon sat up and coughed, grasping onto his throat. He blinked when he was offered his crutch, and then he looked to see who it was. He then took it and was helped back to his feet. "Is it true? Are you the son of Fearless Buzz?" Yasmin, with a cut on her cheek, asked as she helped him upright.

"Yeah, it's true. So why were you guys giving me the silent treatment until now?" Timon asked as he dusted himself off.

"We managed to get into the emergency tunnel in the deeper part of the cave, although not without some minor injuries. We couldn't hear anyone calling for us. Only sixteen of us made it," she sighed as she shook her head and fought back tears.

"Are Zuri and Sudi here?"

"They weren't here this morning, neither was anyone else from your group. And I don't even know what happened to Sly."

Timon breathed a sigh of relief. "So they didn't make it back to the colony." He paused, and then gulped. "Then where _are_ they?"

"Yasmin, Sengbe!" a meerkat shouted as she ran towards them. She stopped in front of them and blinked at Sengbe being held back. "I missed something, didn't I?"

"Never mind that. Did Khairi make it?" Sengbe asked.

"Yes, but he seems worse. I doubt he'll make it to tonight," the meerkat shook her head.

Yasmin put a paw to her mouth and shook her head as she turned away from the surviving meerkats. "The saddest day in the colony's life. My fiancée's missing, most of the colony has been massacred, and my father is dying. I don't know what to do."

"Well, I know what _I'm_ gonna do. I'm gonna find Zuri and Pumbaa. Good luck rebuilding your life, Yasmin," Timon said as he began to walk away.

"Timon, please! You've fought hyenas before and survived! You _have_ to avenge my colony!" Yasmin begged as she ran to catch up to Timon.

"With a broken toe?" Timon asked in a sarcastic manner as he lifted that foot up to show her. "Granted, I did manage to kill Mataka, but I just tricked him into falling off a cliff. There aren't that many cliffs around here and that dam's been rebuilt."

"Mataka?"

"The hyena that was part of the pack that killed my father. He's the one my father managed to beat black and blue."

"Mataka... I wonder. I heard the name of one of those hyenas... Bintaka, I think it was," one meerkat said as he put a paw to his chin.

"So?" Timon shrugged.

"Bintaka means 'Son of Mataka.'"

Timon's face suddenly turned pale. "Mataka's son? It couldn't be. You mean this Bintaka is looking for me to avenge his father?"

"So this _is_ your fault!" Sengbe growled as he struggled to get free. "That hyena wants revenge on _you_ and he takes it out on _our_ colony!"

"OK, OK, put a cork in it, Sengbe. I'm trying to think." Timon put a paw to his chin, looking in thought. "I might be able to help." He turned to the entrance. "Morake!"

The cheetah poked his head into the cave. "What's up?"

"The hyenas are staying at that geyser cave, right?" Morake nodded. "Then I might have a plan to drive them out once and for all," he turned to the surviving meerkats, "but I'll need your help."

"_Our_ help? Forget it!" Sengbe growled.

"Sengbe!" Yasmin sounded surprised.

"Don't listen to him, Yasmin. He's trouble. It was because of him that we're down to sixteen. Besides, what can _he_ do when he can't even walk without a support?"

Yasmin glanced at the flower bracelet she made for herself earlier yesterday, remembering what she discussed with Zuri, and then she furrowed her brow and stood right in front of Sengbe. "I understand your hatred for the Fearless Buzz colony, but that hatred does not carry on to every colony. We admired and respected that colony and mourned the day Buzz died. And we do not count someone out because of a temporary handicap until we hear what he has to say. If you don't want to be a part of this, then go tend to my father and make him comfortable. Understand?" Sengbe was silent for a moment, and then nodded. He was released and then he walked away.

Timon watched, a little amazed. "Wow."

"Now then, Great Timon," Yasmin said as she turned to face him. "What did you have in mind?"

_To be continued..._


	43. What's the Plan?

Chapter 43: 

Kito paced along the promontory of Pride Rock, glancing down towards the ground every time he made his rounds. Bango was sitting to the side, watching him. "What could be taking so long, Bango?"

"I don't know, but I've got a funny feeling in my tummy," Bango said as he lay down. "And I _know_ I'm not hungry."

Kito suddenly stopped pacing and walked over to Bango. "What if something bad happened? I wish I knew what happened to Aunt Jina and Dad."

"_And_ Mr. Sly." Bango lifted his head up and then pouted his lips out in a thinking manner. "Wonder why Aunt Zuri and Uncle Sudi are so determined to bring him back with us. He and Uncle Timon don't exactly get along."

Kito began to pace again. "'Don't get along' is an _understatement!_ Shani and I get along better than those guys! And as her brother, I'm required to by law."

Bango rested his chin in his hoof. "There must be a reason..."

"If there is one no one's told us. I'll have to ask someone straight out next time I see them." He glanced down towards the ground as he turned around, but then stopped and looked again. "There's Aunt Jina! C'mon, Bango!" Kito rushed over to Bango just as he began to stand and climbed onto his back.

"Aunt Nala, my Mom's here! We're going to go down and meet her before she goes to the Outlands!" Bango called towards the cave as he rushed down the side of Pride Rock.

Nala heard this and quickly followed. "Kito, Bango, wait a minute! You can't go down there by yourselves!"

"We're not by ourselves! We've got each other's backs!" Kito called back to her.

"That's _not_ what I meant..."

Jina almost put a hoof on the log that lay over the river separating the Pride Lands from the Outlands when she heard a voice. "Mom! Wait!"

She blinked and looked back. "Bango?" She turned around to face the warthog piglet running towards him. "And Kito, too. What are you two doing out here by yourselves?"

"We're not alone, Aunt Jina. See?" Kito pointed to Nala trotting up to them.

"Hello, Nala," Jina did a polite bow. She then received a nudge from Bango, and returned it. "I'm sorry I just took off like that. You must've been worried."

"_Everyone's_ been worried! No one knew what happened to you or Dad or Mr. Sly!" Kito said as he climbed on top of Bango's head to look at Jina.

"Oh, uh... they were with me. Didn't your Uncle Pumbaa give you the message?"

"No, 'cuz as soon as we found Mom, she and Uncle Sudi dumped us off at Pride Rock to look for Dad at the hyenas' geysers cave." Kito looked annoyed.

"Looking for Timon? I just told you, he and Sly were with me most of the night! I don't know where either of them are now." She rubbed her chin. "Well, I know where Sly is, and Timon probably made it back to the Outlanders' cave by now."

"I hope that's not the case," Nala spoke up. "We heard the creature's roar a little while ago. Simba and part of the pride ran to investigate."

"The creature?" Jina looked worried.

"It's OK, Mom. The _Nunda_ isn't real. The colony's been using noise to keep predators away," Bango said to calm her down.

The wind softly blew past from the direction of the Outlanders' cave, which quickly drew Nala's attention. "I don't think it worked this time."

"Why not?" Kito asked.

"I smell a faint scent of blood." She sneered, and then exhaled as she watched Morake run towards them. Morake screeched to a halt on the log and panted.

"Morake, you're all right! What happened?" Bango asked as he approached him.

"Lots," the cheetah managed to say. He swallowed. "Lots of bad stuff."

"What kind of bad stuff, Morake?" Jina asked.

Morake gathered a bit more breath. "We went to the hyenas' geysers cave to look for Mr. Timon, but we found hyenas!"

"_Hyenas?_ But I thought they ran off years ago," Nala said with widened eyes.

"Wasn't a very big pack. Maybe they stayed behind, and hid whenever someone came in. Or maybe they were out... I don't know, but that's not important right now. Anyway, I managed to run away, but I don't think Mr. Pumbaa and the others made it out," Morake whimpered.

"_Dad..._" Bango whimpered and leaned against Jina.

"Mom... Uncle Sudi..." Kito looked in shock.

Morake gulped. "And it gets worse. The hyenas figured out the _Nunda_ was fake and attacked the caves." Jina, Kito, and Bango gasped.

"Not Yasmin, too! She was so nice!"

The cheetah quickly shook his head. "Oh, no, no, no, she's OK. 'Bout half of the colony survived by getting into the emergency tunnels they got. They said the hyenas were looking for Mr. Timon."

"Timon? Why?" Jina asked.

"They know he's the son of Fearless Buzz. One of the hyenas is named Bintaka, and Mr. Timon thinks he's the son of some hyena named Mataka who's out for revenge or something."

"_Mataka?_ That's the hyena that got Grandpa Buzz and Dad beat!" Kito said in amazement.

"You mean Uncle Timon is OK?" Bango asked.

"Tripped over a rock and broke his toe, but yeah. He's gonna help what's left of the colony to get rid of the hyenas and hopefully save Mr. Pumbaa and the others. The lions are going with them in case something goes wrong."

"Why don't they attack right away?" Nala asked.

"Sorry, I didn't hear that much. Before he told his plan he had me head over here for safe-keeping." Morake looked annoyed.

"In that case, I should go help them," Nala said as she hopped onto the log.

"I'll go with you, Nala. If those hyenas so much as _drool_ on Pumbaa or Zuri..." Jina mumbled as she climbed onto the log.

"What about us?" Kito asked, referring to himself, Bango, and Morake.

"You head back to Pride Rock where it's safe. Let's go." With that both Nala and Jina took off towards the Outlands.

The meerkat, the warthog, and the cheetah watched the two adults disappear into the horizon, and then shared a glance. "What if they don't come back?" Bango asked.

"Then do you guys wanna start a bachelor group?" Morake asked with a nervous smile. It quickly faded and his expression saddened. "Maybe if I had stayed behind to help Mr. Pumbaa get away... or at least carry one of the meerkats with me..."

Kito slid down the front of Bango's snout on his stomach. "It's not your fault, Morake. If I hadn't dragged Bango out here, everyone else wouldn't come looking for us and all this bad stuff wouldn't have happened."

Bango furrowed his brow slightly and turned Kito around to see his face instead of his rear. "Kito, it's as much _my_ fault as it is yours. I didn't show it, but I was just as excited to find Uncle Titus as you were. I showed I was more afraid to do it without adults than I was excited."

"But _I'm_ the one who came up with the idea; you were just thinking about giving Dad and Grandma their favorite bugs and be done with it. Now almost all the people I know and love are in danger and it's because of me. I'm such a _mook,_" Kito sniffled and covered his eyes with both of his paws.

Morake tilted his head to the side and took a few steps closer to the cousins. His tail wagged slowly from side the side. "You're not a mook, Kito. You and Bango did something good by coming out here."

"What?" both Kito and Bango asked.

"You found me. If it wasn't for you two, I'd probably be dead in a matter of days. And not just because I couldn't keep food down." The meerkat and warthog looked at him. "You made me happy, because even though at first you were afraid of me, you didn't leave me. I wasn't alone anymore, and I was happy. I haven't been so happy since Mom was still alive."

Kito looked at the cheetah, and then wiped his cheek with the back of his paw. "Yeah?"

"Yeah. And you also taught me that fortune favors the brave. So if we're brave and stick together, we can do anything, right?"

Kito and Bango looked at each other, unsure of how to respond to that. After a moment Kito stood and dusted himself off. "I know I one thing at least. We gotta find a way to make this up to everyone else."

"How do we do that?" Bango asked.

"First we have to make sure we still have parents, and to do that we may have to interfere..."

"You're _not_ serious. Mom and Aunt Nala..."

"Don't have eyes in the back of their heads, so who's to say that they won't get sneak attacked? We could save their lives by being an extra set of eyes, or a distraction."

"Makes sense to me," Morake said with a blink.

"We'll just stay in a place in the caves where the hyenas can't reach us and we'll be fine."

Bango stared at the meerkat with a slight glare. "You've been out in the sun too long, Kito."

Kito pouted slightly, "Have not. Come on, Bango, at least we'll know if they make it with our own eyes! I know we're already in a lot of trouble, but what if by doing this we end up saving a life?"

A moment passed. "I'm in," Morake spoke up.

"Bango?"

Bango furrowed his brow slightly as he looked at Kito. "Is this another guilt trip?"

Kito pulled on his ears as he shouted, "_I don't have time to cook up a guilt trip!_ Are you in or not?"

Bango shook his head with a slight grin and sighed, "Fortune favors the brave, doesn't it?"

Kito released his ears and jumped off Bango's snout to the ground. "All right, _that's_ what I like to hear!" He offered Bango a balled up paw, to which Bango slapped, and Kito returned the favor with the balled up paw. Morake put his paw on top, but didn't slap them because of their size.

"OK, so what's the plan?" Morake asked, swishing his tail.

"Here's what we're gonna do..." Kito began.

_To be continued..._


	44. Waiting

Sorry this one's a short one, but felt it needed to be in and I didn't have a lot to go on like I used to. Was gonna be longer, but it included a flashback that I felt didn't need to be in there at this time. Maybe I'll post it later or as a "deleted scene" after I finish this fic. Got a lot of alternate and deleted scenes and chapters, so I might just post those. Until then, read on! 

Chapter 44:

The pack of hyenas returned to their cave. The elder Jumbe and a younger hyena were keeping guard on Pumbaa, Zuri, and Sudi. Pumbaa was being held in an elephant's ribcage, while Zuri and Sudi were in a smaller ribcage next to Pumbaa. When the pack entered the cave Jumbe approached them.

"Well?"

Bintaka growled softly as he looked at the entrapped warthog and meerkats. He spoke to Jumbe, "That beast was _fake!_ It was just a bunch of clay, sticks, and shells!" The entrapped animals looked at each other, worriedly.

"You mean we've been afraid of nothing but _noise_ all these months?" Jumbe growled. "Who constructed it?"

"A mob of meerkats. A good lot of them paid for this little deceit." Zuri put a paw to her mouth. "We didn't find the son of Fearless Buzz, though. At least the good news is that we managed to get a snack." He licked his teeth.

"And you _didn't_ bring back a doggie bag?" a hyena barked.

"The lions chased us out before we could do that! They'll probably be coming after us soon."

"Hmph. I'm sure the King won't interfere too much. I happened to see this one," Jumbe jerked his head towards Zuri, "climb to the top of Pride Rock earlier last night. If she was a stranger to the King she wouldn't be standing here now, would she?"

"I _knew_ I felt like I was being watched," Zuri mumbled.

"So if we tell the King we have hostages that he knows, he'll be at our mercy, won't he?"

"In addition to when we find Great Timon... _oooh,_ this is going to be a good day," Bintaka shivered with excitement. "I'm going to find an apple for the warthog and we'll have a big luau." He took off.

Pumbaa gulped. "Come on, boys. We've got work to do." Jumbe instructed the rest of the hyenas to do various tasks and soon the prisoners found themselves alone.

"I thought they'd never leave," Sudi said as he kicked the ground beneath him.

"Can't you two dig out of there and get help?" Pumbaa asked.

"Not without help," Sudi replied, and then knelt down and knocked on the ground. "With the proper tools we can dig through stone, but otherwise we'd be looking for a wide enough crack to get to the dirt underneath."

Pumbaa began to pace. "Then how are we gonna get out of _this_ one?"

"Maybe Timon will have a plan... if he _cares_ about saving me," Zuri said as she sat down.

Pumbaa stopped pacing and looked at her. "Of course he cares about you, Zuri. What makes you think...?"

"He overheard my conversation with Sly, Pumbaa! I'm sure he overheard my saying I'm not sure if he cares for me! That would crush him." She brought her knees up to her chest and folded her arms on top. "If he can even love me after I said that _right in front of him..._" She sighed and looked away from both Pumbaa and her brother. "I never should have pushed him so hard to saying the 'L' word. I should know he loves me."

"Of _course_ he does." Pumbaa walked to the corner of his cage to get closer to the other cage with the meerkats inside. "He was trying so hard to be able to say it without choking while we were looking for the boys."

Zuri turned her eyes over to Pumbaa. "He was?"

"Of course. And I know he could say it before he met you, and after he met you. I just don't understand why he can't say it easily now. Maybe he's afraid."

"No, he's not afraid. He just never thought he'd ever say those three words to a girl he feels it towards and he gets tongue-tied." Zuri rested her back against the wall and rubbed her chin. "He never thought he'd ever end up with a girl, since he had such bad luck with them."

"Why am I _not_ surprised?" Sudi asked under his breath.

Zuri turned to her brother. "You're in enough hot water with me. Don't add to it." Sudi nervously grinned. "They're just really strong words... and maybe he's not strong enough to say it to my face."

Pumbaa tilted his head to the side. "He'll come through for us, Zuri. Trust me." He turned back towards the bars and snorted. He lowered his head and charged towards them, banging his head against them. He grunted and continued to push, but to no avail.

"It didn't work the first five times you did it either," Sudi said.

"I just need those hyenas to call me a pig and I'll be angry enough to crash through these and save us," Pumbaa grunted and then sat down.

"Can't you just _pretend_ one of them called you pig?" Zuri asked.

"I don't have a very strong imagination."

"Then what can we do?" Sudi asked with a sigh.

Pumbaa walked back to that corner of the cage to be closer to the meerkats and sighed, "Just wait for Timon." They looked towards the way they came in, waiting.

_To be continued..._


	45. What You Missed, Part One

Hey, folks! Here's another chapter that was way long and needed to be cut up once again. I was up to 'bout page ten before I decided I should cut it up. Next part of the chapter will be a bit of a tribute to _Son of Fearless Buzz_, which recently turned a year old (construction March 1, 2004 through March 18, 2004). Yay! Oh, and **Em**, Shomari and Panya are back at the oasis with Dalila and the kids. If they were in the colony that was attacked Timon would be taking it really hard. I know you miss them; I miss them myself. But they'll be around soon. Oh, and the 200th reviewer gets a shout-out in the following chapter! Until then, read on! 

Chapter 45:

Unaware of the happenings in the Outlands, Sly wanted to get some sleep in the old abandoned tunnels, but he'd only toss and turn in the abandoned nest. He sighed and sat up, rubbing his eyes. "Lousy, stinkin'... even when I _finally_ understand that stupid dream I'm never gonna get to sleep," he said to himself. He eyed the meerkat pup doll that was lying next to him and exhaled through his nose. "Well, as long as I'm up..." He bent over to the side of the nest to some freshly picked vines and carefully lifted the doll up. He carefully removed the old vine that held the doll together and began to replace it with the new. As he repaired the doll his mind drifted to earlier, when he was not alone.

_Earlier that night..._

Jina and Rafiki were sitting to the side, waiting for Sly to reemerge from the tall grass he disappeared into. Rafiki was drumming his fingers on his staff, and Jina was tapping a hoof.

"How long do you think until he snaps out of it?" Jina asked Rafiki.

"I would not push it, Jina. He has just been told he was born to another mother and father. It is all a big shock to him," Rafiki said.

"I don't have time for him to recover." Jina stood and stretched. "We should get back to the Outlands, straighten things out with the others, and then maybe head home. Pumbaa was half-asleep when I told him where I was going, so I doubt he'll be able to replay the message." She walked over into the tall grass, stopping when she saw Sly, whose back was facing her. "Sly, we should get going. The sun'll be up soon and everyone will wonder what happened to us if Pumbaa didn't remember my message."

"I'm not going anywhere. I'm not ready to face them yet," Sly replied, staring at the pup doll in his paws.

Rafiki walked up next to Jina. "What do you mean, Sylvester?" he asked.

"I don't know how I'll tell the colony I'm not who they think I am. I don't even know this real family of mine. If I went, it'd be like... I'm replacing the family I grew up with. And Pop..." He sighed and lowered his head slightly. "_Sengbe_ gave me this whole 'like father, like son' speech earlier, and he doesn't even know we're not related."

Jina tilted her head to the side. "If he loves you, he'll understand. You were always a son of Fearless Buzz, but now you finally know it. Nothing else changed."

"Look, just go on without me. I can't face them yet."

"But..."

"_Just leave me alone!_" Jina softly gasped at the harshness in his voice, taking a step back. "... Please."

Jina's shoulders sunk, and then she sighed. "All right, Sly. But you shouldn't be afraid to face them. If they love you, they'll understand. I know it." She then turned and ran off. Rafiki watched after her, and then took a step closer to Sly.

"That goes for you, too, chimp."

"We are not finished..." Rafiki began.

"Well, _I'm_ finished with you! Beat it!"

Rafiki furrowed his brow and was about to smack him over the head with his staff, but the wind blowing past stopped him. He listened to the wind, sighed and began to walk away. "As you wish." He stopped and glanced over his shoulder to look at Sly. "Like father, like son, eh? I do not know this Sengbe, but I can see which father you do _not_ take after, Sylvester." Sly winced, and Rafiki left. Soon, Sly was alone.

_Present..._

Sly shook his head to try and clear it. He noticed he had finished repairing the doll and held it out to admire his work. "Not too shabby, if I do say so myself." He set it down and stretched, releasing a few cricks. He looked down the tunnel hall, looking a bit unsure. "I can't do it. I can't face them. Not yet." He laid back in the nest and closed his eyes, trying to get to sleep. He turned onto his side and absentmindedly pulled the doll close to him. "I'm not ready..." Suddenly he felt water splashing on him, and he sat up, coughing. "But I _am_ ready to kill someone! You are _so_ dead, pal!" he growled as he turned to the attacker and rolled up his soaking furry sleeves. He then blinked.

"Tsk tsk. Temper, temper." Buzz stood outside of the nest with half of a nutshell that was dripping the last few drops of water it used to contain. Buzz smirked and tossed him the shell saying, "And you'd be correct, pup. I'll be dead six years this year."

"Oh, not _you_ again," Sly said as he slapped a paw over his eyes and lying back down into the nest. "We're in my subconscious again, aren't we?"

"Nothing gets past you, Sly."

Sly sighed and pulled the shell over his face. "Whatever. Look, could you leave me alone so I can actually go into full unconsciousness and get some sleep? I'm exhausted."

Buzz grimaced and kicked the shell off Sly's face. "You're lazier than Timon." Sly sat up, rubbed his nose, and looked at Buzz with an irritated face. "But I'll let it slide since you've had trouble sleeping lately." He then tossed Sly a leaf. "Shake it off. We're going on another little trip, so pack up your doll and let's go."

Sly swung his legs around to the other side of the nest and hopped out, using the leaf like a towel. "You mean I gotta take the _doll?_" He grabbed the doll and glowered, "This is _so_ humiliating."

"Oh, quit your whining. I'll be the only one who sees you with it, and I'm dead. Who am I going to tell?" Buzz asked with a furrowed brow.

"You do the subconscious thing; you can tell anyone you want," Sly replied has he grabbed an extra piece of vine and used it to tie the doll around his waist like a belt.

Buzz grimaced, bent over, grabbed Sly by the end of the tail, and began to pull him along. "Quit stalling and let's go, Junior."

"Hey, I can walk, you know!" Sly protested as he snatched his tail back.

Buzz looked at Sly with a bit of amusement as he replied, "Yeah, and your feet must be made of lead at the rate you're going." Sly growled as he watched Buzz walk ahead of him, and then he followed. They climbed to the surface and inhaled the fresh air and felt the warm sunlight. Buzz took a few steps out and stretched. "_Ahh..._ a guy can _breathe_ out here."

Sly rolled his eyes. "A _dead_ guy can breathe out here. Give me a break," he said under his breath. "OK, _Pop,_ where are you taking me this time?"

"You're not ready to meet your real family, right? I'm going to help you see what you missed out. Watch." Buzz put his arm around Sly's shoulders and pointed towards the large rock where his body rests. Suddenly a meerkat sentry materialized on the rock and the sky changed from morning to near night. "After the eagle took you most of the colony males went out to find you. Of course we didn't find you and we considered you dead."

Sly watched as most of the returning meerkats returned to the tunnel, and noticed the sentry drop down from the rock to go to the last lingering male. "I take it the one dragging his feet is you?"

Buzz nodded. "And that's one of my best friends. His name's Pete. He's usually the first one to offer advice and make sure I get the important things done. He kept insisting that just because we never found you it doesn't mean you died that day." He smirked as he turned to Sly. "Who knew he was actually right?"

Sly watched as the younger Buzz dropped down into the tunnel. The younger Pete shook his head and then followed. "Sounds like a nice guy."

"Mm. He's been like a brother to me, and maybe even like a second father to Timon. He's got a nice scar on his back now."

"Hmm. So I'll know it's him from the back then, eh?"

Buzz looked amused as he walked towards the tunnel and motioned for Sly to follow. "C'mon, there are some more people I'd like you to meet." He dropped down.

Sly followed, calling, "Funny definition of meet you got there, Pop! I can't meet a person who can't even meet _me!_" He caught up with Buzz. "I can't say 'Hi, nice to meet you' and expect a reply because they can't see, hear, _or_ feel me, remember?"

Buzz rolled his eyes. "OK, fine. I'd like you to _see_ some more people. Whether you actually _meet_ them or not is up to you." Buzz lead him down the tunnel, and stopped. Sly looked over his shoulder to see why he stopped. Ahead was the younger Buzz sitting in a nest with a female holding a doll. The younger Buzz was holding a sleeping meerkat pup. "That female is Panya... your birth mother."

Sly's expression softened. "My mother...?"

"Beautiful, isn't she? Your previous mother was thinner, I know, but Panya's got a big heart." Buzz noticed Sly's stares and jerked his head towards the scene. "Go ahead. They can't see or feel you, remember." Sly looked at him, and then walked closer towards the scene.

"_Look_ at him, Buzz," Panya said. "So unaware, so innocent. I don't want to see him anything other than that. I just want him to be happy. If he doesn't remember having a brother, then he's none the wiser."

"He'll _be_ wiser when he gets older. He'll be aware of other emotions, so he won't always be happy," the younger Buzz said.

Panya took the pup that was in the younger Buzz's arms and gave him the doll she was holding. Sly recognized the doll as the one he found and repaired. He took it off his belt to compare. "Maybe not, but he won't be sad about Titus if he doesn't know about him." Sly's eyebrows rose slightly. "Start by keeping _this_ away from him."

"This isn't the answer."

"_I_ don't want to see it anymore... please, find a place for it, where I'll never find it," Panya said in a shaky voice. The younger Buzz lowered his eyes and rose from the nest, walking away past Sly and Buzz.

"I buried that doll in your place. We had a funeral for you a few days later," Buzz said as he noticed Sly watching after the younger Buzz. "To this day your mother doesn't even know where I buried that doll."

"So where did you have the funeral?"

"At the spot where you disappeared. I didn't tell your mother I buried the doll there. I didn't leave a pile of dirt there." He grinned slightly. "You had a good turn-out."

"Should I be _glad_ to hear that?"

Their attention turned to the crying pup Panya was holding. She smiled weakly, "Don't cry, Timmy. I'm here... I'm here..." She began to hum softly as she held her son close.

"That's Timon," Sly said. Buzz nodded. "Did she... did _you_ ever tell him about me?"

Buzz was silent for a moment. "We'll get back to that later. Come on... there's plenty more I want you to see."

Buzz began to walk away, but Sly lingered behind. He knelt down to see Panya's face and tilted his head to the side. "I _do_ have her eyes..."

"Sly?"

Sly quickly gathered himself up and stood. "I'm coming!" He took one more look at Panya and the pup she was holding before he ran to catch up to Buzz.

_To be continued..._


	46. What You Missed, Part Two

A bit of a tribute to _Son of Fearless Buzz_, which just turned a year old the other day. Yay! I put in some new dialog to keep things fresh. Chapter was a little long, so I had to cut it up once more. I'll post it later. Oh, just in case, here are some tissues.Read on! 

Chapter 46:

Sly ran to catch up to Buzz, who had stopped in the middle of the tunnel. "OK, so whom do you want me to see next?"

"Before I show you anymore relatives, I think we should skip ahead a few months first." The scenery changed to a tunnel collapsing. Sly covered his head, as the dirt came crashing down on them. Buzz grimaced and pulled Sly through the dirt pile. He sighed as he rolled his eyes, "_Perfect_ timing."

"I'll say... What a mess! What happened?" Sly asked.

"I, uh... I was giving Timon a tunnel digging lesson," Buzz mumbled as his younger self and three-month-old Timon popped their heads out from the dirt pile. "I was expecting instinct to kick in."

"Weird."

"Not for Timon," Buzz sighed with a roll of his eyes. "The pup has two left digging paws." Their attention turned to an older meerkat standing at the base of the pile.

"Buzz! What happened here?" the meerkat asked as the young Buzz pulled the young Timon out of the pile.

"Uh, just giving Junior here a digging lesson, Uncle Max," young Buzz replied as he gave Timon a pat on the back.

"Oh, so that's what that was. From the looks of this tunnel I thought you were giving him a _**demolition lesson!**_"

Sly winced at the scream with the younger Buzz and Timon. "That extra-large set of lungs is my _uncle?_"

Buzz nervously chuckled as he led Sly away from the scene. "_Great_-uncle. He likes to have things in order and on schedule, so he doesn't have a lot of patience. It got worse when Timon started digging tunnels and breaking them, day dreaming of a better life, questioning why we don't stand up for ourselves and why we dig tunnels all the time..." He chuckled. "Oh, it was _priceless_ when Max taught him scurry-sniff-flinch. 'Flinch, then sniff, or scratch and sniff?'"

"Of course he questions it when he's young and he isn't any good at it."

"He questioned it until he was two-years-old," Buzz replied dryly. "He wanted a better life where there are no hyenas and where we don't have to dig tunnels. The rest of us, well, we didn't want to take the chance. We just liked living better than to leave somewhere that's safe when we're not even sure such a paradise exists."

"Yourself included? That's not what _I_ heard about you."

"That's how I felt... at first. Anyway, because of all that he and I always found something to disagree about. About the only one who had enough patience with Timon was his mother." He pointed ahead to Timon sitting down on a rock with his mother.

"Was I adopted?" Timon asked.

Panya frowned, "Timon... I swear, no matter what, you and your father always seem to disagree on something. Why?"

"Well, I'm tired of doing everything his way, or Uncle Max's way. They're always picking on me."

Panya started to smooth out his hair. "Oh, sweetie, you won't be a pup forever..." A cowlick refused to be smoothed out. She tried again. "...and whether your father or Uncle Max like it or not..." The hair popped up again. She used both paws now. "... you'll be making your own way soon." The hair popped up yet again. She shrugged and ruffled Timon's hair up, making Timon laugh unexpectedly. Sly held in a laugh himself. Buzz shook his head and smiled. Panya looked at Timon's messed up hair and smiled as she put her paws on his cheeks. "Whatever you do, I know you're going to make me proud."

"You really think so?"

"Even Dad." Timon smiled and hugged her.

"Thanks, Mom."

Buzz bowed his head and grinned slightly as the scenery faded. "She almost always knew just what to say to him. I almost never did."

"Did you two ever get along?" Sly asked.

"We started to about a month after this," Buzz replied, scratching the back of his head. "Special request from your mother. Took a little work, but we only argued about two or three times a week."

"Really."

"More or less," he shrugged. Suddenly they were inside the tunnel. "Now then... your previous question's about to be answered."

"Previous... question...?" Sly asked as Buzz pointed towards two approaching figures.

Young Buzz and Panya walked down the tunnel. "I don't know about this, Buzz..." Panya said, shaking her head.

"Panya, Timon's going to be six-months-old next week, and he's going to start babysitting soon. If he's old enough to be able to take care of the younger pups then I think he's old enough to know about Titus and understand," the young Buzz replied.

"Couldn't we wait until next week?"

"I, for one, am tired of keeping it from him. I'd rather tell him now and get it over with."

"But I don't know how to tell him..."

"You're _afraid_ to tell him, that's what. You don't want to remember." Panya lowered her eyes slightly. Buzz tilted his head with a soft sigh and then kissed her on the cheek. "Listen, he and I have been getting along great lately, so I'll tell him alone. You won't have to relive that day again."

"Are you sure?"

He nodded. "I'm sure. Where is he?"

"Outside getting a bite, last time I checked."

"OK. Be back soon." He walked away from her towards the tunnel exit. Panya sighed and rubbed her paws together anxiously.

"So you _did_ tell him about me," Sly said to Buzz.

"No, I never got the chance to," Buzz said. "When I got outside it began to rain, and everyone was called inside and gathered in the central meeting tunnel."

The scene changed to the central meeting tunnel, where everyone was gathered and heads were being counted. "Where's Timon?" young Buzz asked.

"Timon's up there!" Panya asked, and then began to pace. "He can't be outside in _that!_ He'll catch a cold!"

"It's hardly a sprinkle." They all turned to the sentry who came running into meeting tunnel.

She panted, "I barely made it. We've got a _huge_ problem up there!"

Panya stared at Buzz, "Hardly a sprinkle, huh?"

"Well, actually, it _is_ hardly a sprinkle right now. But what I mean is, I saw a hyena as I ducked into the tunnel!"

"You saw a _**WHAT!**_" Panya grabbed the sentry and shook her by the arms. "My _baby's_ up there! What are we gonna do!" Buzz looked in the direction the sentry came, and then he had a determined look on his face and headed towards the exit.

"You mean this is the day...?" Sly began. Buzz nodded. "But I thought you said..."

"Timon once said to me 'No meerkat should have to hide' and 'Meerkats should start growing backbones.' I guess his words gave me the encouragement to go outside and fight that hyena off. But aside from that..." He looked at Sly and said, "I already lost one son; I _wasn't_ going to lose the other."

The scenery suddenly changed again. They were outside, it was raining, and a hyena was charging towards them. Sly screamed and ducked his head. The hyena ran right through them, continuing towards the young Buzz. Sly lifted his head up. "Gotta remember they _can't_ see or feel us..." he mumbled to himself.

"Here, batter, batter!" the younger Buzz shouted as he swung a stick that was twice the size he was. The hyena yelped and rolled backwards. The young Buzz chased after him. Meerkats watched from the tunnel exits.

"Look at him go!" a meerkat shouted.

"He's got that hyena begging for mercy!" a second cheered.

Then the hyena ran off. Young Buzz panted and tossed the stick aside. He then went behind the rock and tree sentry point. "Wow... you _were_ strong," Sly said.

"That's why Shomari didn't take over our colony," Buzz smirked.

Sly nodded his head towards where young Buzz went. "What's back there?"

"That's where Timon was hiding. I was making sure he was all right."

"Buzz! Look out! _**HYENAS!**_" a meerkat shouted as the hyena returned with five more.

The scene abruptly changed to inside the tunnel. "I'm sorry, Sly, but I'd rather _not_ watch my death from a different angle," Buzz said with a shudder.

"I'll forgive you," Sly said with a nervous smile. "So what happened?"

"I told Timon not to tell his mother about him being outside, seeing how she worries so much, and then I pushed him down the nearest tunnel entrance. I then continued to fight the hyenas, you know, to try to scare them off. I realized one meerkat against six hyenas, no matter _how_ strong, were bad odds, but I couldn't make it back to any of the entrances." He exhaled. "It got so bad the meerkats watching had to duck down to avoid getting attacked themselves and wait for the noise upstairs to quiet down."

The scenery changed once more to the central meeting tunnel, where Timon ran to his mother. "Mom, Dad's hurt real bad up there! We gotta save him!" Timon pulled on her arm, trying to drag her outside. Panya wouldn't move. She was too afraid. Timon frantically looked at the group, then he went to Uncle Max. "Uncle Max, come on, we gotta...!" A strong slap across his face stopped Timon from finishing his sentence. It echoed in the tunnels like a clap of thunder. Panya gasped, shocked that Uncle Max had just slapped her son. Sly winced and put a paw on his left cheek.

"It's _your_ fault he's out there in the first place, pup! If you had come straight to the meeting tunnel like you were _suppose_ to during a predator attack or storm, he would be down here now!" Uncle Max sternly said to him. Timon put a paw to his left red cheek.

"They didn't even _try_ to save you?" Sly asked.

"Timon wasn't as big an influence on them as he was to me," Buzz sighed. "But even if he was, they wouldn't stand a really good chance at this point and time."

"But I saw your grave. If you were eaten by the hyenas, then what did they bury?"

Buzz was about to reply, but a loud boom was heard above them, followed by yelping hyenas. "Lighting struck a tree nearby and scared them off before they could eat me. Timon went outside first and found me... alive, but barely." The scenery changed once more to the rock and tree sentry point. "Forgive me again... I'm not too fond of what I look like dying."

"You're forgiven again. But... do you mind if I...?"

"Go ahead." Sly looked at Buzz, and then approached the rock, hearing voices.

"Dad, _please..._ not when we were just starting to get close... I won't let you go!" Sly looked around the corner of the rock, seeing Timon was kneeling down to the young Buzz. Buzz lifted his paw up and lightly ruffled Timon's hair.

"I'm sorry, pal. I can't be fixed." Timon shook his head, trying to deny this was happening. Sly took a few steps closer to the scene and knelt down beside Timon.

"Timon! Buzz!" Panya's voice was heard.

Buzz winced, then exhaled as he looked up at Timon. "Take care of your mother, and the colony. Find that perfect life you always talk about... then no one else will have to go the way I did. Remember... I love you, pup." Buzz's paw became limp, dropping down from Timon's head to the ground. Timon got up and backed away from him, shaking his head.

"Dad...? _Dad?_ No, please..." Timon stared at the body with his eyes wide. Sly closed his eyes and turned his head away as well until he heard Panya walk up.

"Timon, there you are. What...?" Panya gasped when she saw Buzz's body, then shook her head. "_No..._" More meerkats came up behind her and gasped.

"Buzz..." Uncle Max softly said. Timon continued to stare until his mother put a paw on his shoulder. He looked at her, then clung to her, crying hard. Ma hugged him tightly, crying as well. The other meerkats bowed their heads.

Sly rose to his feet. He looked at Panya with Timon and went to put a paw on her shoulder, but saw that his paw only went right through her. He drew his paw back and stared at it with sad eyes as the scenery faded. "I can't even comfort her in my own subconscious."

Buzz appeared behind Sly and put a paw on his shoulder. "You have to admire your mother, Sly. She's a very strong woman. In just under six months she's lost a son and a husband." The scenery changed to the same location, near sunset. Everyone gathered there to put Buzz's body to rest. After singing a song many walked away. Timon and Panya were the last ones standing.

"Must've been hard to lose a father like that. To have him... er, to have _you_ die in his arms," Sly said as he stepped up to the scene. He looked at Panya as she kissed Timon on the cheek and walked away. "Must've been even harder for _her._"

"It was, but like I said, she's strong. Ever since then she's been extra protective of Timon. She has more patience and understandings than anyone else when he messes up, and after what happened to me, she'd have to be, or Timon would be all alone." He softly sighed as he watched Timon put a paw against the artwork etched onto the rock. "But then... he was all _she_ had, too. About two years later she thought she lost Timon, too."

Sly blinked and looked at him. "_What?_"

"Zuri wasn't telling whole lies. Timon _was_ a rogue once upon a time. He left the colony."

"Because of _this?_" Sly motioned to the grave. "But he's too young to be..."

"No, no, no. He left when he was older, and for different reasons." Buzz looked at his grave and grimaced. "I'm one of them. Do you want to see?"

Sly looked at Buzz, and then to Timon, who was sniffled and rubbed his nose with the back of his arm. He then slowly dropped his paw from the picture of Buzz and walked back towards the tunnel with his head hung low. "... Yeah. Yeah, I do."

Buzz smiled and patted him on the back. "Good answer. Let's go."

Buzz began to walk away, but Sly lingered behind a moment to put a paw on the meerkat-sized rock under the larger rock... only to have his paw go right through it. Sly grimaced. "Can't even touch _rocks..._ it's amazing I don't sink into the ground." He stood and then followed Buzz.

_To be continued..._


	47. What You Missed, Part Three

OK, here's the third and final chapter in Sly's subconscious! I wanted to have all three parts in one chapter, but then that would be one monster-sized chapter, wouldn't it? But on the plus side we got three new chapters in just a few days. Guess it's better this way, especially for the different memories. After this chapter we'll hopefully get to the action sequence (if I don't think up a different chapter to work on before getting to the action)! That one may be long and I don't intend to chop it up. I'll be working hard to make it good, so it may take a little while to get it up. Well, if you've stuck with this fic _this_ long you'll be able to make it through. Oh, and as promised, congrats to **Pichooi** for being the 200th reviewer! Just in case, here are some tissues and a Pumbaa plushie to hug. Why? Eh, you'll see. Read on! 

Chapter 47:

Sly caught up to Buzz, who was standing there and rubbing his chin. "Hmm... at what time of that day do I want to take you there? It can be so hard to decide when you've got so little time," he said to himself.

"What do you mean, so little time?" Sly asked.

"I can only show you these events while you're still asleep. There's really no telling how much longer we have here, so I'm trying to decide how much I actually _need_ to show you."

"If you show me all of that day it'll take longer. Why don't you just show me that moment Timon decides to leave and tell me what happened before-hand? Quicker that way, right?"

Buzz grimaced slightly and nodded. "I guess that's the best way of doing it. All right." The scenery once again changed. They were at the rock and tree sentry point, where Buzz's grave was. Timon, two years old, was sitting on the rock and sighing to himself.

Sly walked around the rock to see Timon's face. "Does he look blue. What'd he do, break one tunnel too many?" Sly asked.

"No, but he _did_ set a new personal record for Most Tunnels Collapsed in a Week. See, since my death he's been trying to get on the colony's good side again, but only seems to try too hard and messes up. He was trying to make me and your mother proud, but..." He shrugged. "Today he was put on sentry duty for the first time to keep off the digging crew, but he broke into song and hyenas attacked. We didn't lose anyone, but they caught Uncle Max and chewed most of the fur off his tail."

"_Ouch..._ that's a _bad_ place to get bitten," Sly winced.

"Needless to say, the colony couldn't even look at Timon without giving him a dirty look that day." He noticed Panya walking up towards Timon and began to speak with him. Sly walked back around to Buzz. "He knew it was hopeless, but Panya wasn't about to give up just yet." They turned to the mother and son.

"... _Besides_ you, Ma," Timon said.

Panya began to think out-loud. "Uh, besides me? Um, there's, uh..."

"I have to find my place... but it isn't here," Timon said as he began to stand.

Panya pulled him back down to a sitting position and began to play with his hair. "Yes it is. We just haven't found it yet, but we will. Oh, here's an idea. You could run a-"

Timon got up and pawed her paws away. "Enough with the hair already." He looked out towards the open grasslands. "My place is out _there,_ Ma. Oh, I may not know exactly where, or how far, but I gotta go!"

"No, wait, wait, wait. I know. If we just..."

Timon bluntly interrupted her. "Ma."

Panya paused for a moment, and then sighed. "Well, I hope you find what you're looking for, honey." Timon turned, smiled, and then walked over to her to hug her. She returned the hug. "Oh. Oh, I love you."

"I love ya, Ma."

Sly folded his arms in front of his chest and arched a brow. "_Hmm..._ and Zuri told me he had trouble saying the 'L' word."

"This was a few years before he met Zuri," Buzz said. "He didn't have too much trouble saying it until then."

"You mean he started having trouble saying it _after_ he met Zuri?"

"A little while after he met her, yes. And there was a reason why every time he began to say it he got tongue-tied, but it's not the time." They turned back to Timon and Panya, who were just finishing their hug.

Timon took his mother's paws into his own and gave her a reassuring smile. "I'll be OK!"

"Oh, I know you will!" Panya added in a soft, sad voice, "You will." She looked down at her paws, and slowly let go. She watched as Timon gave her another smile, turned, and began to walk away.

Sly watched as Timon faded away, and the sun had completely set. "So, what happened to him?"

"He came across Rafiki, who told him about Hakuna Matata and to find it you had to look beyond what you see. Shortly after that the same night, he met Pumbaa and they eventually found their oasis," Buzz said. He grinned, "I gave Rafiki a spiritual message to point Timon in the right direction and to help him find a friend to watch after him. Didn't do too bad a job, eh?"

Sly rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, sure. I haven't _officially_ met Pumbaa yet, so I'll just have to take your word for it, Pop." He glanced around the area and noticed Panya was still standing in the same position as when Timon was walking away. "She's still standing there."

"Kind of frozen in time, I guess. She knows Timon's chances of survival are slim. As far as she knows she lost the last important meerkat in her life."

"Panya!" Panya didn't react to her name being called. Pete poke his head out of the tunnel and glanced around. "Panya!" He noticed her and then climbed out of the tunnel. "_There_ you are. We've been looking all over the tunnel for you." He walked towards her. When she didn't react again, he poke her in the shoulder. "Panya?"

Panya shook her head to clear it and looked at Pete. "Huh?"

"We've been looking for you. What are you doing out here by yourself?"

She sighed and looked out to where Timon walked away. "Is it so late already? I didn't realize."

Pete blinked and leaned forward to look at her. "Are you all right?"

"... Timon's gone."

His eyebrows jumped slightly. "What do you mean, gone?"

"I mean he _left._ He's a rogue now. He's going to find his place..." She bowed her head. "Where he won't mess up in front of his father."

Pete swallowed and rubbed the back of his neck, trying to think of something to say to her. "It... may be for the best, Panya. He's been wanting to go out there and find a better life, and who knows? Leaving might be the best thing to happen to him since Buzz died. He'll be happy, and if he isn't... well, I'll _try_ to get everyone to agree to letting him back in. He'll probably be demoted to nest potato though." He nervously smiled.

"Don't make promises you can't keep, Pete."

Pete softly sighed and put an arm around her shoulders. "Come on, it's getting cold out here." Panya allowed herself to be lead back to the tunnels.

Sly watched them leave. "That _is_ a nice scar," he said as he looked at Pete's back. He turned to Buzz. "So what happens next?" He blinked when he noticed Buzz fading slightly. The scenery faded to black. "Forget _then;_ what's happening _now?_"

Buzz took a look at himself. "Looks like you're beginning to wake up," Buzz said. "Sorry, pup, but you won't be able to see what else you missed."

Sly ran over to Buzz and put his paws on his shoulders, as if that would keep him in place. "You _can't!_ I'm not ready for you to leave yet!"

"Still not ready, are you?"

"This is different than facing the colony! Pop, please, help me go back to sleep! I have to know what I missed!"

"Why do you want to know?"

Sly bowed his head and closed his eyes tightly. "I want to know more about this family of mine! I want to know the laughter, the tears, the mundane... _everything_ I missed until now!"

"What about the family you grew up with? You said earlier if you went with your blood family it'd be like you were replacing them."

Sly turned his face away from Buzz, like he did when he watched him die. "They'll never really replace the family I grew up with. No, the family I grew up with will always be in my heart. But... I just want to feel like I _belong_ somewhere, _earn_ a place to call home!" He reopened his eyes. "I know a little about my real family... and I want to know more about them."

Buzz shook his head. "I can't show you anymore while you're waking up-"

"Forget that! I don't want to just _see_ them. I..." He turned his face back to look at Buzz. "_I want to actually **meet** them!_"

Buzz stood there for a moment, and then pulled Sly into a hug, to which Sly was not expecting. "That's what I wanted to hear. When you find someone who loves you for you, Sly... you'll know you belong." He then held him out in front of him. "Right now, you need to head back to the Outlands and go to the geysers cave."

Sly wrinkled his eyebrows and pulled away from Buzz to look at him. "The geysers cave? What happened?" Buzz only stood there, as if it was pointless to tell Sly. He faded away a bit more. "Wait, don't go! Pop! Why do I have to go to the geysers cave?"

"I don't have enough time to explain the situation. Just go."

"But I'm not ready for you to leave yet... This is the closest I'll ever get to getting to know you... I don't want you to leave!"

Buzz tilted his head to the side, and fingered the doll that was hanging off Sly's vine belt. "You remember what I said when I buried this doll the day you disappeared?"

"You mean earlier... when you had me watch my dream from a different point of view?" Sly thought hard to remember. "You said that... I'll be in your heart until we meet again."

"That's right." Buzz took Sly's paw and placed it over his own heart. "I'll never leave you, Sly, as long as you remember that I live in you... here." He softly chuckled and then ruffled his hair. "And I'll always be there. Don't _ever_ forget that." He began to fade from sight.

"Wait... don't... _please..._"

"I'm sorry, Sly, but I can't."

Sly swallowed and then said, "Pop... I love you."

"I love you, too... Titus." He then disappeared.

Sly gasped and then examined where Buzz was standing. "Pop..." His eyes widened as he saw his paw was beginning to fade. He looked down at his feet, which had faded completely. He noticed his body was quickly following. He looked around, a bit frantic. "What's going on? I don't think this is suppose to happen! Pop, _wake me up!_"

He sat up in the nest he was asleep in and shouted, "_**Wake me up!**_" He gasped when he realized he was awake and back in the abandoned tunnels. He panted and wiped his forehead. "That was creepy... I think I almost prefer falling out of a tree and waking up compared to that." He looked at the meerkat pup doll that was lying next to him and picked it up, looking at it. "That all felt so _real..._ Did all that _really_ happen?" He put a paw over his heart. "Are you really...?"

_"You need to head back to the Outlands and go to the geysers cave,"_ Buzz's voice said in his head.

Sly nodded to himself, took a piece of vine that was lying outside of the nest and tied the doll around his waist like a belt. He collected the rest of the vine to throw away and headed to the surface. He began to run past the rock and tree, and paused. He looked at Buzz's grave, knelt down to it, and put a paw on the meerkat-sized rock. He mused to himself, "I _know_ I'm awake now..." He then softly smiled, "Thank you. I... enjoyed your company." He closed his eyes as he felt the wind brush against him. "At least what little time we had there." He then frowned. "Something bad must've happened if you told me to go that way. But... how am I gonna get back to the Outlands in time?" He noticed a shadow looming overhead, and he looked up. A large white bird landed in the tree above him and picked the bugs out of its feathers. Sly rubbed his chin in a scheming manner and noticed his other paw was still holding leftover vines. He grinned as he looked up at the bird again. "_Hmm..._"

_To be continued..._


	48. The Rescue, Part One

I guess I had the creative juices over-flowing when I started writing this! Worked on this maybe six or so hours! Boy, all that daydreaming a couple of months in advance really helped. _MONSTER_-sized chapter ahead! This one's like 19 pages! Hmm... maybe I _should_ cut this up. 

Chapter 48:

Timon, the colony, Jina, and the pride were a good distance away from the hyenas' cave. They weren't sure how many were inside, or how many might be outside. From this distance they could not be seen. The lions were lying down, waiting. Jina was pacing. The meerkats were looking inside several coconut shell halves, each filled with different things, such as water, leaves, grass, and many twigs. Timon was sitting on a rock looking over an oddly shaped hollow shell as Yasmin and another meerkat were making a cast out of clay around Timon's right foot. "There. Not exactly our best cast, but it'll help protect your toe until it mends," Yasmin said.

"I don't mind the clay... it's actually quite soothing..." Timon began, and then held the small end of the shell over his mouth as he shouted directly into Yasmin's face, " **_After that whole relocating the toe bone thing!_**" His voice was amplified when he shouted into it. He then waved his paw over the clay to help it dry a little faster.

Yasmin stuck a finger in her ear, cleaning it. She then furrowed her brow at Timon and snatched the shell away and spoke into it. "**OK, so I'm not a shaman.**"

Timon snatched it back. "I figured _that_ out right away after you reset the wrong toe!"

"At least it gave us something to do while we're waiting for the scout to come back."

"Yeah, I guess... Better than watching Jina pace." They looked over at Jina, who was still pacing. "Jina, would ya stop? You're acting like you've got an upset stomach."

"I can't help it, Timon." Jina continued to pace, growing more and more anxious for something to happen. "I still don't see why we can't just go on inside and fight the hyenas," she said. "Get it over with. At least then we'd know if Pumbaa, Zuri, and Sudi are still alive."

"We're going inside _only_ as a last resort. If Timon's plan succeeds we won't have anymore hyena troubles. If it doesn't work, _then_ we'll go inside," Simba replied. He looked at Jina, who was still pacing. He put a paw down in front of her path, causing her to stop and look at him. "We're all just as worried for Pumbaa and Zuri as you are, but we have to be patient. One false move and we fail."

Jina sighed and sat down. "All right, Simba. I'll try to calm down."

They heard some burrowing below their feet. A few meerkats stepped back. A hole appeared and a meerkat's head popped up from inside. "It's about time. Find anything?" Timon asked.

The meerkat dusted the dirt out of his hair before replying. "There's a skylight on the west side of the cave that we can get into, but they're too small for the lions and it's guarded by two hyenas."

"They're expecting us. We either have to find another way in or lure those hyenas away without drawing the others' attention," Simba said.

"I just want to say... I am _not_ putting an apple in my mouth while someone does the hula!" Jina snorted.

"And I'm not exactly able to dress in drag and _do_ the hula myself," Timon said as he pointed to his clay-covered foot. "But you _would_ draw their attention better than a few scrawny meerkats, Jina," Timon said. "And lions would alert them."

"So what am I suppose to do?" Jina asked.

"Follow my lead and try not to act insulted."

"I don't like where this is heading..."

_A few minutes later..._

Two hyenas were sitting next to a skylight about fifteen feet above the ground. One yawned, and then glanced downward. His eyes widened and then he elbowed the other. The other growled, and then looked where the second was looking.

Jina was walking on the ground in front of them, humming. Timon was riding on her back, looking from the right side of her to the left. "Say, Jina... haven't you put on a few pounds?" he asked in a loud enough voice that the two hyenas would hear, but acting like he didn't see them.

"You've noticed!" Jina beamed, also loud enough for the two hyenas to hear.

Timon stood on her back with a cane supporting him, taking a good look at her. He cupped one side of his mouth to add volume. "Why, I bet you could feed a family of four!"

"Oh, at _least!_" She grinned as she twirled around in a circle once. "Picture me _rolling_ in butter. Roly-poly, roly-poly, roly-poly..." The two hyenas began to drool. They looked at each other and nodded. Licking their chops they began to slide down to the ground. Timon and Jina 'noticed' them.

"OK, my _roly-poly_ friend, I'd say it's time we turn into _**fast food!**_" Timon said as he pulled on Jina's ears, causing Jina to turn and run. The hyenas followed. As the hyenas ran from their post, the meerkats pushed their coconut shell halves up the slope towards the skylight.

"You were right, Timon! They really don't like to share!" Jina said as she continued running for her life.

"Good thing Morake mentioned that!" Timon nodded. The hyenas snapped at Jina's heels, but then skid to a halt when they saw the lions up ahead.

"Uh-oh," they both gulped.

"Did everyone skip breakfast?" Kiara asked with a grin. A few lionesses licked their chops as a reply. "Me, too." The two hyenas yelped and ran away, and were pursued by some of the lionesses, making sure they weren't running back towards the cave.

"Whew... that was a close call," Jina panted.

"Yup, but now we can get closer to the cave and move onto Step 2," Timon grinned as he rubbed his paws together schemingly. "I just _love_ playing tricks on hyenas." With that, the remaining lions and Jina walked towards the cave. "And remember: the Plan B code is 'a wave of lions will wash over you.' Got it?" A round of nods.

_Meanwhile..._

Pumbaa pushed against the bars of his ribcage prison, which still refused to give away. "Come on, know when to say when..." he said to himself.

Sudi tapped his fingers on his knee, looking extremely bored... or tired. "Pumbaa, _you_ should know when to say when. You've been doing that for... how long, Zuri?" he turned to his sister.

Zuri yawned and flicked a pebble. "I stopped counting after about thirty minutes." She sat up and stretched, and then looked ahead at the pack of ten hyenas ahead of them. They were huddled in a circle, whispering. "They're up to something. They've been running around doing stuff all morning. I wonder what they're talking about now."

"Probably planning on which one of us isgoing first and how they're gonna do it," Sudi grimaced. He stood and kicked at the bars. "If we _just_ had the tools we could dig out of here and get help. I'm getting tired of waiting."

Pumbaa suddenly stopped pushing against the bars and sat down at the side of his cage closest to the meerkats. "We wouldn't have to wait long if one of them would _just_ call me you-know-what."

"I wouldn't hold my breath." Zuri yawned and stretched again, and then blinked when she felt something fall on her. "Huh?"

"What is it?" Sudi asked.

"Shh." Zuri lowered her paws down to see what fell into her paws. It was a flower bracelet, identical to the one she was wearing now. She softly gasped. "Yasmin," she whispered. She, Sudi, and Pumbaa looked upward. On the ledge above the cages Timon and Yasmin were leaning over the side. Yasmin gave them a silent motion and then ducked back. Timon winked and blew Zuri a kissed before he ducked back. Zuri smiled and whispered, "He came..."

"About time," Sudi whispered.

Up on the ledge the meerkats were setting up their trick. A few were pushingthree coconut shell halvesfilled with twigs and blades of grass behind a large rock, big enough for the meerkats to hide behind. Others were scattered around right above a few of the geysers with their coconut shell halves filled with various things. One meerkat was hanging by a vine near one of the geysers, waiting for it to blow. When it did he held out a stick, and the end caught fire. He climbed back to the top and ran over to the piles of twigs, where Timon was waiting with the oddly shaped shell and Yasmin was sitting next to one of the piles.

"Everything's set up. They haven't noticed us yet," a meerkat whispered.

A few of the meerkats peeked over the rock and looked down at the hyenas still huddled in a circle. "Would you look at all those... _teeth?_" a meerkat whimpered. They dropped back down behind the rock, except the one that just spoke. Yasmin reached up and pulled him down. "Maybe we should try this tomorrow."

Timon grabbed that meerkat by the front of his fur and pulled him up to his face. "Why, you miserable, cowardly, _wretched_ little caterpillar! Don't you ever want to become a butterfly? Don't you want to spread your wings and _flap_ your way to glory?" he asked in a whisper.

"But we _eat_ butterflies," the meerkat said.

"That's not the point. We're avenging your colony, remember?" Timon blew some air out of his mouth and released the meerkat. "Aside from this spineless jellyfish, are we all ready?"

"I think so," a meerkat whispered.

"Good. You all know what to do," Timon nodded to everyone. The group nodded. Timon drummed his fingers on the shell and grinned wickedly. "Operation: 'Ghost of Fearless Buzz' is now in order. Send the signal."

The meerkat holding the burning stick waved over it over towards the other meerkats near the geysers. The meerkats waved, and one dropped the contents of coconut shell from the ledge and down into a geyser. When the geyser erupted, the steam turned a burning red. Burning leaves rained down over the cave, drawing the hyenas' attention.

"It's raining fire!" a hyena yelped when one of the leaves landed on his backside.

"_Inside_ the cave? What's going on here?" Bintaka barked. The meerkat with the burning stick set fire to the coconuts filled with twigs and grass and then tossed it aside. Two other meerkats fanned the flames with leaves, causing smoke to build up.

"Look! Up there!" a hyena pointed to the smoking ledge. Then a large shadow of a muscular meerkat appeared on the wall in-between the two separate towers of smoke. "What's that? _What's that?_"

"**I am your _worst_ nightmare come true!**" a booming voice sounded. "**You have gone _too_ far, son of Mataka! Never again will you take the life of a meerkat and know a moment's peace!**"

"Who are you?" Jumbe demanded.

A meerkat stood in front of the flames, and had his shadows cast on the wall. Yasmin sat to the side of one of the fires and used her paws to add shadow muscles to the meerkat. Timon laid down next to one of the meerkats fanning the flames, speaking through the small end of the shell, amplifying his voice and deepening it, as if he was the muscled shadow meerkat. "**I am Fearless Buzz! Descendants of Mataka and _all_ those associated with him will now face my wrath!**" The meerkat casting the shadows acted along with Timon's speech.

"You mean this cave's _haunted?_" a hyena whimpered.

"**That's right! As long as you reside in these lands I will haunt you _forever!_**" Timon shouted, and then cackled as another geyser erupted with leaves in it, causing even more burning leaves to rain down.

"Don't overdue it, _Great_ Timon," Yasmin whispered through clenched teeth.

Timon covered the speaking end of the shell. "Why not? It's cool," he whispered back. He cleared his throat and prepared to speak again.

Pumbaa was covering his head and quivering. "And I always thought Buzz was a _nice_ guy!" he whimpered.

"He is... just not to hyenas," Sudi said. "After all, they _did_ kill him."

"If I was you, Bintaka, I'd pick up some change of address forms on the way out of town," Zuri said as she leaned against the bars of her cage. "He _did_ beat up your father pretty good. Who knows what his _ghost_ might do to you?"

Bintaka scoffed, "I ain't afraid of no ghost. What could _you_ do to me?"

"**I could do many... _unpleasant_ things to you, son of Mataka,**" Timon said in wicked tone. "**Why, with just a thought, this space could be plagued with _locusts!_**" He blinked and then covered the mouthpiece and mumbled to himself, "Nah, locusts wouldn't scare them. What scares hyenas?" Yasmin rolled her eyes. Timon snapped his fingers. "Oh, I know. Watch this." He spoke into the mouthpiece. "**I know many beings in the other world... beings who owe favors to me...**"

"S-S-S-So?" a hyena gulped.

"**Maybe you wouldn't be scared of _me..._ but maybe you would fear the ghost of King Mufasa!**" The geysers erupted again with more burning leaves raining over them. Jumbe heard a sound, and walked away from the group of hyenas to see.Many hyenas whimpered and backed away from the shadow."**Or, if not Mufasa, then perhaps... _Scar!_**"

"But Scar's dead!" a hyena barked.

"**I said ghost, didn't I?**" Timon asked dryly. "**Ghosts are dead.**" He then re-gathered himself and got all wicked again. "**Yes, Scar! Many of you served under his power years ago, but he's _never_ forgotten your betrayal. After all, most of you are probably still picking your _teeth_ with his bones!**"

One hyena whistled nervously as he pushed a few bones to the side. "Don't know what you're talking about..."

"_**Don't insult me!**_" Another geyser erupted, followed by more burning leaves. "**This is _my_ natural size, which is bigger than any one of you. Imagine the size of Scar's ghost... he'd eat _two_ of you in half a gulp!**"

"No!" a few hyenas gulped.

"**Yes! But of course... Mufasa is much bigger _and_ tougher than Scar...**"

"You wouldn't dare...!"

Timon grinned. "**Oh, wouldn't I? But of course, since I've landed in this part of the plain, I can never leave. Unfinished business and all that. Once I call in Mufasa and Scar they'll never be able to leave, either. But since _you_ are technically still a part of the great Circle of Life, you can leave whenever you'd like.**" He said in a hinting tone, "**But don't get any ideas that you'd want to _leave_ the Outlands and never _ever_ come back!**"

"That actually sounds like a good idea," a hyena said as he began to inch towards the exit.

"Yeah, forget this Timon guy. If he's _anything_ like his father, I don't wanna meet him!" a second hyena said as he followed the first. Five of the hyenas ran out of the cave.

"_Cowards!_ Come back here!" Bintaka barked.

"It's working!" Yasmin whispered to Timon.

"Naturally," Timon grinned. "Five down, five to go. I just have to scare them a little more." He spoke into his shell. "**If you don't follow in suite, Bintaka, you'll wish your father had _never_ come to my colony and threatened my son!**"

"Really?" Jumbe's voice asked.

"**Yes, really!**"

"I don't suppose these threats include more..." Everyone ducked when a steaming coconut shell half hit the wall and the shadow and landed in front of the meerkats. "**_Coconuts?_**"

"Someone must've dropped one of the shells into the geyser," Yasmin whispered.

Timon tried to think of something. "**Uh... I was... just giving you a _sample_ of what could come down! _Half_ a coconut shell might not hurt, but next time it'll be the _sixty-pound seed!_**"

"Really. Well, if _that's_ the case, I'd better get some protection, hadn't I?" Bintaka asked.

"I can't see. What is he doing?" Timon whispered, covering the mouthpiece of the shell again.

"We can't look, or they'll figure us out," a meerkat fanning the flames whispered.

"Might be a little too late for that," Yasmin gulped. A bit of movement was heard down before, and then a shout. Timon recognized it right away. Yasmin quickly covered Timon's mouth before he could say anything.

"Put me down, you scavenger! I'm _not_ a helmet!" Zuri shouted as the hyena held her in his mouth. "Bad enough _hippos_ wanted to use me as a seat cushion!"

"Oh, don't worry. I'm not gonna use you as a helmet. When I'm hit on the head, I'm gonna use _you_ as the thing to bite down on," Bintaka said, his speech slightly muffled. Zuri gulped.

"Let her go!" Pumbaa grunted as he banged his head against the bars of his cage. Sudi tried to lift his cage up and over him, but it was too heavy for him.

"So, Fearless Buzz... unleash your wrath on me now that I have a female meerkat in my jaws." He walked out into the center of the cave and sat down. "I _dare_ you."

Timon bit down on his finger, trying to think of what to do. The meerkats near the geysers were trying to decide what to do as well. They knew the raining fire trick would no longer be effective. Jumbe watched Bintaka as he walked over to the exit of the cave.

Timon whispered, "I think it's time for Plan B." Yasmin and the other meerkats nodded. Timon cleared his throat, uncovered the mouthpiece, and spoke into it. "**I believe you'd do what you say you'd do, but do you really want to add fuel to the fire? Crush her and...**" He yelled towards the exit so that the lions would hear, "... _**A wave of lions will wash over you!**_"

At that note, the remaining hyenas could hear lion roars from outside. Jumbe grinned and pulled on a piece of vine that was hanging by the exit. Suddenly a support that was lying under a hill of boulders was released, and the boulders rained down, blocking the exit. The lions could not get in, nor could anyone get out that way. The meerkats' eyes widened, shocked. "_That's_ what they were planning," Pumbaa said. "They knew the lions might come, so they set up a landslide! We're on our own!"

"Lady Luck just _spit_ in my eye," Timon said.

"So much for your _wrath,_ Fearless Buzz. Nothing can get in _or_ out. We've gotten used to your rain of fire... so what's next?" Bintaka asked.

Suddenly Jumbe yelped and spun around, growling. "Who did that?"

"Who did what?" Bintaka asked.

Jumbe yelped again and looked around. "_That!_ Something hit me! A rock!" The meerkats looked at each other, blinking. "Hit _me_ instead of _him,_ will you? Bintaka, crush her!"

"Gladly." Bintaka tossed Zuri into the air to catch her in his mouth, but a rock flew out of nowhere and into his mouth, breaking a tooth. Bintaka yelped and covered his mouth, and Zuri dropped to the ground.

"Nice catch," Zuri growled as she rubbed her backside. "At least I landed on something soft."

Timon looked over the side of the rock to see. "**Zuri, don't just sit there! Run for cover!**" he shouted into the shell, forgetting to add the deepness in his voice.

"Oh, right!" She got up and ran into Pumbaa's cage. "Let me in, _let me in!_" She clung to Pumbaa, who stood to defend her.

"Is the colony doing whatever they're doing?" Yasmin asked.

"Maybe..." Timon said as he ducked back behind the rock.

On the other side of the cave on one of the upper ledges Kito, Bango, and Morake were looking down. They had a vine tightly tied to two large separate rocks like a slingshot. The trio grinned and gave each other silent high fives.

"Nice shot, Morake. You saved Mom," Kito whispered.

"Did you see him flinch? I'd _pay_ to see that again," Morake said with a sharp, toothy grin.

Bango loaded another rock and prepared for the next shot. "Let's get one of those _other_ hyenas next," he said, and then pulled and released. He hit one hyena in the leg, who yelped and hopped on his other three feet. The three of them grinned again and prepared for the next shot.

"I've had _enough_ of this! I won't fall for your tricks like my father did, Great Timon! Either show yourself or I'll vent my anger on your warthog friend!" Bintaka barked at the shadow.

"**If I show myself you're gonna go for him anyway to see the look of despair on my face, right?**" Timon called through the shell to amplify his voice. He didn't bother adding the deepness of his voice. They had already been found out.

"That's the idea. It's a win-win situation... for me."

Timon growled softly to himself, "Wish I had a Plan C cooked up."

"What are you going to do, Timon?" Yasmin asked. Timon was silent for a moment.

"We _can't_ let them get Dad. What can we do?" Bango whispered to Kito and Morake.

"Hope that they spend this time fighting over who eats him? They bickered like crazy earlier," Morake whispered, swishing his tail. "Saying who was gonna get what and such... if we could just use it to our advantage."

Kito rubbed his chin, and then snapped his fingers. "I've got an idea." He took some extra vine they gathered, tied one end to one of the rocks and tied the other end around his waist. He looked down and noticed a hyena was underneath. "This time I'm gonna jump _with_ a bungee." He jumped down and landed lightly on the hyena's back. "I get the pig, Bintaka, and I won't take no for an answer!" he said quickly in a deep voice before the vine recoiled and he was pulled back up. The hyena looked back, wondering what that was.

Bintaka looked over at that hyena. "You'll _take_ no for an answer and _like it_! He's mine!" he barked.

"_Are you talking to me?_" Pumbaa asked, slowly boiling over. Zuri stepped away from him.

"**Uh-oh, you called him a pig,**" Timon said as he looked over the side of the rock, still speaking through the shell.

"_Are you talking to me?_"

"**Shouldn't have done that**."

"_**ARE YOU TALKING TO ME?**_"

Timon grinned, "**Now you're in for it.**" He quickly asked himself, "Why wasn't _this_ my Plan C? Well, it is now."

"_They call me..._ _**MISTER PIG!**_" Pumbaa screamed and broke right through the bars in his ribcage prison and attacked the hyena that he thought called him pig. The hyena ran from him, and Pumbaa gave chase.

"Go, Uncle Pumbaa," Kito silently cheered.

"Whoo-whoo-whoo," Bango and Morake added.

Bintaka growled and looked upward, where the shadow once was. He looked at the boulder pile that blocked the exit and judged how far it was to that ledge. He walked towards the boulder pile and started to climb it.

_To be continued..._

OK, so I _did_ cut it up, but only two long chapters and I won't leave you hanging this time! Hurry, hurry, leave a review for this chapter (I like hearing the input) and "turn" the page!


	49. The Rescue, Part Two

Here's part 2 right where 1 left off! 

Chapter 49:

"_Wow,_ Pumbaa's a great fighter," Yasmin said as she peeked around the rock.

"And _that's_ when you call him a pig," Timon said.

"Well, at least we're safe up here."

Timon looked to the side where he saw movement and dryly said, "I'm not so sure about that, Yasmin." The meerkats looked and gasped as Bintaka walked towards them.

"Oh, dear."

Bintaka growled, baring his teeth, including the one broken from the rock earlier. Suddenly he grunted and was splattered with a piece of over-ripe fruit. "What the-?" As he looked around the meerkats made their escape. Bango pulled back on the sling shot loaded with a second piece of fruit and fired. He missed Bintaka and hit the spot on the ground.

"Not your best shot, Bango," Kito said.

"Oh, I don't know..." Bango innocently said. Bintaka went to go after the meerkats, but slipped on the fruit juice and fell off the ledge. "I'd say I was right on target."

"Very nice," Morake said.

Zuri tried to help Sudi lift the ribcage to help him escape, but it was too heavy for both of them. "What's this made of,_ lead?_" Zuri grunted.

"When Pumbaa cools down he'll help," Sudi grunted. The meerkats that were pulling off the geysers trick dropped down from their hiding spots, down a vine, and rushed over to help lift the cage. With their help they managed to lift it enough for Sudi to crawl out. "Thanks. I hope you guys have an exit plan."

"Yeah... it's called 'Run For the Skylight,'" a meerkat said as they ran towards the vine they climbed. They skid to a halt when Jumbe appeared in front of them.

"Going somewhere?" he innocently asked as he pulled the vine down, breaking it from the rock it was attached to.

"Uh... no. We were... just waiting for the light show," Zuri nervously smiled.

"_What_ light show?" Jumbe growled.

Zuri pointed to geyser about to erupt, and Jumbe's backside was standing right in front of it. It erupted, and Jumbe's backside was burnt. He howled and ran to put it out. "_That_ light show."

Timon and Yasmin were still up on the ledge. They lowered some extra vine that was in a nearby coconut shell half and lowered it down to the meerkats. "Hurry, climb up!" Yasmin shouted. The meerkats lined up and climbed up the vine. Zuri was the last one on top.

Timon helped her up. "Are you all right? He didn't draw blood, did he?" Timon asked as he turned Zuri around to check the damage. "You know you complain when you bleed."

"That's you."

"Oh, yeah. But _you're_ OK, right?"

"I'm fine, Timon. Really. Are _you_ all right?" Zuri motioned to the cast on his right foot.

"Just a broken toe." He turned towards the ground and spoke into the shell. "**Pumbaa! Stop knocking those hyenas' heads into the wall and let's get out of here!**"

Pumbaa trotted over to the vine and tilted his head to the side. "I can't climb that."

"Why not?"

"_You've_ got opposable thumbs, and _I_ don't," Pumbaa displayed his thumb less hooves. "Oh, don't worry; I'll just use the rock slide!" He ran towards the boulder pile, but skid to a halt when Bintaka and Jumbe blocked his path. "_Hello..._"

The two hyenas growled and walked towards him, but jumped when a large white bird suddenly flapped right in front of them and took to the top of the cave. That gave Pumbaa a head-start in the chase. Sly dropped down from the bird's back and onto the high ledge. And then bird flew outside of the cave. He dusted himself off and said, "That's the last time I'm flying coach. I _hate_ airline food. Nothing but ticks." He noticed he landed on the same ledge as Kito, Bango, and Morake.

"Mr. Sly!" Kito said.

"What are you kids doing here?" Sly asked as he walked over.

"Helping," Bango pointed to the slingshot and the ammo they were using, which was mostly rocks and over-ripe fruit. "So far we broke Bintaka's teeth before he could hurt Ms. Zuri, called my Dad a pig, and made Bintaka slip and fall off the ledge."

"And what's your plan for _this_ one?" Sly motioned to Pumbaa running around the cave with Jumbe and Bintaka behind him.

"Uh..." the three looked and rubbed their chins.

"Thought so." Sly looked at the surroundings, and then down below. In front of them was a large pointed rock attached to the ceiling. Directly below that was a large geyser. "Convenient," he grinned. He walked over to the slingshot and gathered a few rocks. "Mind if I borrow this?"

"What are you gonna do?" Kito asked.

"Buy them some time."

On the lower ledge, Timon went back to their previous hiding spot and went over to the fires. He looked over the side to see where the hyenas were running, judging his timing. He used his cane to push the shell to the edge of the ledge and then pushed it over the side, shouting, "Fire down below!"

The shell landed on Jumbe's nose. He yelped and tried to put the fire out, abandoning his chase of Pumbaa. Bintaka tripped Pumbaa, causing him to tumble forward and stopping by the large geyser. He shook his head to clear it and looked at Bintaka, who was growling and baring his fangs. He felt some pebbles falling on his head, followed by larger rocks. He growled and looked upwards.

Sly continued to pummel the rock with smaller rocks, chipping away the support. "This is taking longer than I thought would!" he said as he loaded and released.

"Hurry! He's got Mr. Pumbaa cornered!" Morake said.

"I'm doing the best I can, cub! Distract him or something!"

"Guess it's time to make a pest of myself again," Kito said as he retied the vine around his waist. "_Cannonball!_" He dropped down right on top of Bintaka's head, pushing his feet down hard as the vine recoiled and brought him back up.

Bintaka growled and looked around. "_Who did that!_" He then got smacked with a piece of fruit.

"Predator tag, predator tag!" Bango shouted, wagging his tail. He ducked down before the hyena saw him.

"You're gonna have to do better than that, kids," Sly said as he continued to use rocks to chip away the larger rock.

Bintaka growled and wiped the fruit off the back of his head. "I'm not taking anymore distractions." He turned to Pumbaa, who was beginning to stand. "You're pork chops!" He began to lunged for Pumbaa, only to have Morake jump onto his back and bite down on the back of his neck. He howled and tried to pull him off.

Pumbaa stood and looked to see who rescued him. "Morake?"

"Run, Uncle Pumbaa, while Morake has him distracted!" Kito shouted from the ledge.

Pumbaa quickly nodded and then ran towards the rocks. He climbed on top of them to the ledge and ran to catch up to the meerkats. When Pumbaa was safely on the ledge, Morake let go and ran towards the rocks. Bintaka was about to follow, but was once more distracted by Kito's kicking him in the head and disappearing trick. This gave Morake his chance to escape. The meerkats made it to the skylight and were beginning to climb out. Pumbaa and Morake ran up to them.

"Is that everyone?" Timon asked as Zuri began to exit.

"Nope!" Morake said.

"Morake, what are you-?" Timon began, and then stopped himself. "What do you mean, _'nope?'_"

"Kito, Bango, and Mr. Sly are still in there," the cheetah said meekly.

"_**What!**_" Timon and Zuri shouted. Morake pointed downward, to where they saw Kito using the vine as a bungee cord, kicking Bintaka in the head, and returning to the top. They then looked to the higher ledge and saw Bango was throwing fruit at Bintaka while Sly was still chipping away the larger rock.

"So _that's_ what been going on," Zuri said with a blink. "Timon, we have a very clever son."

"Yup. And he is _so_ grounded," Timon said with a dry expression. Zuri mimicked his expression and nodded.

Kito's vine suddenly lost bounce and he dangled in front of Bintaka's nose. Kito blinked and looked at the vine. "What is there, a thirty bounce warranty on this thing?" He nervously smiled as Bintaka sneered at him.

"Ahh, the little runt from the other night. That termite mound won't save you _this_ time," Bintaka growled and then took a snap at him, but noticed he bit air. He looked up and noticed Sly was pulling the vine and bringing Kito up. Jumbe jumped up and bit the vine, dropping Kito to the ground and causing Sly to fall backwards. Kito scrambled to his feet and dashed over to the rocks. He squeezed into a crack small enough for him to fit into. Bintaka and Jumbe growled and tried to get in after him.

"_Kito!_ Pumbaa, Zuri, get out of here! I have to save him!" Timon dropped down from a nearby vine the other meerkats' used earlier.

"Timon! _No!_" Zuri shouted and reached out for him as Pumbaa pushed her outside. Morake helped him squeeze through the hole and followed.

Timon ran as best as he could with a cast on his right first and hurried over to the hyenas. _This trick never gets old..._ Timon thought to himself as he quickly bit into Bintaka's back leg. The hyena yelped and tried to get him off. Jumbe took his attention off Kito to help Bintaka.

Bango dropped down to the lower ledge and called to the rock pile. "Kito! Hurry, while they're occupied!" Kito poked his head out of the little space and pulled himself out. He climbed up the pile and met with Bango, who lifted him up and ran towards the skylight.

Sly continued to chip away at the larger rock, until he ran out of rocks. "Great. _Now_ what'll I use? Fruit?" He heard growling below him, so he took a look. Bintaka managed to kick Timon off his back leg. Timon went flying, landed, and rolled.

Timon sat up and spat out the hyena hair and blood. "You don't _clean_ there, do you?" Timon asked as he began to stand. He yelped when he realized his cast cracked and his toes were exposed. "I put too much pressure on that foot..." He looked around. "Where's my cane?"

"Aww, what's the matter, Great Timon? Did you hurt yourself?" Bintaka asked in a taunting tone as he approached him. "I won't eat you right away... I can only hurt you while you're _still_ _alive!_" He made a lunge for Timon, only to miss. Sly had tied the vine around his ankles and grabbed Timon in the nick of time.

Timon exhaled and helped Sly climb to the top. "Great timing, Sly," Timon said.

"You just can't stay down, even when you're hurt, can you?" Sly asked.

"Not when it concerns my kid."

Bintaka barked, "Come back here!"

"Yeah, right! Like if you yap at us, we'll come right down and ask you to eat us!" Sly scoffed as they made it to the top.

"_Pitiful!_" Timon followed. He turned to Sly. "So where have _you_ been?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you... but I have something that you might-" Sly went to his vine belt to grab the doll, but found it wasn't there. "_Yike!_ Where'd it go?" He looked around, and then down at the ground. Timon looked as well. Down on the ground was Sly's meerkat pup doll. The hyenas were sniffing at it. Sly sighed and rubbed his forehead. "_Perfect..._"

"I didn't know you played with dolls," Timon said with an amused expression.

"Now's not the time, Timon! We gotta get it back!" Sly made sure the tie was secured, and then dropped back down.

Timon waited, and noticed the vine beginning to break. "_Yipe!_ Sly!" He grabbed the end of the vine just as it broke. The jerk from Sly's bounce pulled Timon down. Both meerkats landed on Jumbe's back. They both rubbed their backsides. "You couldn't check the vine for rips and tears _before_ you made the jump?" Timon asked with a furrowed brow.

Sly furrowed his brow and growled as he untied the vine from one of his ankles. "Shut up. Remind me to check the warranty on that thing." He tied the doll to his belt. They both gulped when they heard the hyenas growling. They both nervously smiled as they faced them. A geyser erupted nearby, shaking the ceiling as it did. The four of them noticed some pebbles falling from above, and all took a look. The rock that Sly was chipping away at began to crack. Sly grimaced, "Oh, sure. _Now_ it gives away."

"Get out of the way!" Timon shouted as he pulled Sly off of Jumbe's back. Sly helped Timon run from the geyser they were standing next to as the rock broke from the ceiling and landed right into the large geyser.

Jumbe and Bintaka looked at the geyser, and noticed cracks forming around the base. From the cracks emitted a red glow. "The pressure's building up! It's gonna explode!" Bintaka shouted as he ran from it. Jumbe began to run, but was too slow and was caught in the extreme part of the explosion. Timon and Sly fell forward from the force and slammed against the wall. Both were knocked out. Bintaka was also knocked forward, but not out cold. He shook his head and noticed the two meerkats. He growled and walked towards them. "_You're mine..._" He then yelped and reared back when he felt something on top of his head, biting his ear and scratching his head.

Timon and Sly rubbed their heads, being awoken by the yelp. "What's he yelling about now?" Timon asked.

Sly looked and gasped. "_Pop!_"

Sengbe was riding on top of Bintaka's head, biting and scratching it. "Keep away from my son!" Bintaka jerked his head forward, forcing the meerkat off. He growled, picked the meerkat up in his mouth, and tossed him into the air.

Timon and Sly winced. "We gotta do something!" Sly said.

"Yeah, but what?" Timon shrugged, and then noticed he was still holding the vine. And that same vine was still attached to one of Sly's ankles. Sly noticed as well, and they both looked at each other. "You thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Read my mind, bro." Sly removed the vine from his ankle. "You sure you can handle it?"

Timon looked at the cracks spreading and widening, revealing lava below. "Our lives are depending on it. I think I can manage." He got up and ran with Sly towards Bintaka, who was too busy with Sengbe to notice. They both ran around and through Bintaka's legs, intertwining the vine with them. They nodded to each other and pulled the vine, tightening and pulled Bintaka's legs together. Bintaka yelped and fell down, dropping Sengbe.

Sly ran over to Sengbe and put one of his arms around his shoulders, supporting him. Sengbe winced. "Hang on, Pop. We'll get you out of here!"

Timon noticed the cracks widening and gulped. "Uh, Sly, just _what_ did you have in mind when you planned this?"

Sly noticed the cracks and backed away with Timon, keeping hold of Sengbe. "I was hoping to seal the caves off, or at least buy us some time while we escaped... but I was hoping we'd be long _gone_ by this time!"

They both stopped when they felt heat against their backs. They turned and saw a yawning crevice filled with lava and formed. They were cornered on a jutted rock. "I can't believe how _lucky_ we are!" Timon said. "I hope you have a back-up plan!"

Sly looked at his feet, trying to think. He noticed the vine Jumbe had pulled earlier, and then looked up at the rock that it was attached to. He then looked along the ledge that was under the skylight. "Depends. Can you lasso?" He reached over and picked it up.

Timon bent over and grabbed one end of the vine, starting to create a ring. "If I have enough height." He looked towards Bintaka and gulped. "Oy..." Sly looked and gulped. Bintaka had chewed the vines from his legs and charged towards the three meerkats. "Keep a strong hold on Sengbe and that vine, Sly."

"What are you planning?" Sly asked.

"I'm planning to live. Do you trust me?"

Sly was silent for a moment. "... I trust you."

"Good. On my signal, jump off the side of this rock." Bintaka came closer. "Wait for it..." Sly bit his lower lip and tightened his grip on both Sengbe and the vine. "_Wait for it..._" Bintaka grinned and then took a leap towards the meerkats. "_Now!_" On the signal, the two of them jumped off opposite sides of the jutted rock while holding their end of the vine and Sengbe. The vine kept them from falling into the crevice. Bintaka landed, and the force of his landing caused the rock to crack and break. Timon and Sly scrambled up the vine with Sengbe as the rock fell into the crevice, followed by Bintaka, who howled as he fell. The brothers both looked down when they made it back to mostly solid ground.

"That... was... _**insane!**_ You could've _killed_ us!" Sly said, and then smiled. "Good trick."

"Heh. Thanks." Timon suddenly frowned. "But that vine was our last hope. How are we gonna get out of here before the _really_ big explosion hits?"

Sly looked towards the skylight. "I might have one more trick... I just hope he's still around." Sly put two fingers in his mouth and whistled sharply. With a caw the large white bird that Sly rode flew into the cave through the skylight. "When he flies overhead grab the vine hanging off him!"

"Got it!" Timon waited until the bird was low enough to grab the vine that was hanging off it. "Hang on!" Timon grabbed the vine and Sly took a tight hold of Timon and Sengbe as the bird flew towards the exit, carrying them with it.

_Outside...  
_  
Outside of the cave, the colony and the pride were watching and listening to the eruptions inside. They heard an explosion inside, so they covered their heads in case anything went flying. They heard a bird screech from the inside and saw it tumble down the side, with its tail feathers ablaze. Right after that lava was seen coming out of the skylight.

"Timon... Sly..." Pumbaa gasped. Jina closed her eyes and turned away from the sight.

"_No..._" Zuri ran forward towards the cave. "Timon! Sly!" She heard no reply. "_Please,_ no..." She dropped to her knees and put a paw over her eyes.

Simba sighed and looked away from the cave. "_No one_ could survive that..." Nala walked up next to him and leaned against him, as if to offer him support. Kiara leaned against Kovu, sniffling. Bango and Morake sniffled, leaning their weight against each other. The pride and colony bowed their heads.

Kito walked up next to Zuri. "Mom...?"

"I should have been honest with him... I should have told him about Sly... Then maybe..." Zuri said, not bothering to look up.

"No, Mom... it's _my_ fault," Kito said as he knelt down to Zuri. He pulled the paw away from his mother's eyes to make her look at him. "_I'm_ the one who lead everyone out here. If I hadn't done that, we'd still be safe. It's _my_ fault, Mom..." His eyes filled with tears, and then he found himself pulled into Zuri's arms, trying to add comfort. "It's my fault..."

Sudi walked over to his sister and nephew. He was about to put his paw on her shoulder as he looked towards the cave, but stopped himself. He squinted. "What the...?"

"What?" Zuri asked, not bothering to look.

Sudi's eyes widened, and then he shouted, "Everyone! Look!" He pointed. Everyone looked where he was pointing and gasped. Zuri slowly raised her eyes and widened them.

Slowly walking towards them were three singed meerkats. One was in the middle, supporting the weight of the other two. The one in the middle coughed smoke and said, "That's the last time I'm flying _that_ airline."

The one on the right coughed smoke and nodded, "Yeah. I ordered regular, but I got extra crispy."

Kito looked and gasped. "_Dad!_ Mr. Sly!" He pulled himself out of Zuri's arms and ran over towards them.

Timon noticed Kito running towards him and smiled. "Kito..." He released himself from Sly's support and dropped to his knees to meet Kito's open arms. He pulled him close as the pup hugged him. "You made it out. Do you have _any_ idea how worried I was?"

"I'm _so_ sorry, Dad. _I_ caused all this trouble."

"I won't argue with you there." He heard Kito gulp. He held the pup out and ruffled his hair a bit. "But I'll admit, you did good bringing us here and sneaking in to help us. I didn't know what to do when that hyena had your Mom in his fangs, and if you hadn't done what you did, she wouldn't still be here." Kito sniffled, smiled, and nodded. "Now if you don't mind..." Timon closed his eyes and fell back.

"Dad?" He leaned over him and heard him snore. He nervously smiled. "Must be tired, huh?"

"Sly!" Yasmin ran over to Sly, but slowed down when she saw Sengbe. "Sengbe..." Zuri ran over to them, helping Sengbe to lie down. "These injuries..."

"It's bad," Zuri nodded.

"Sylvester..." Sengbe said, and then coughed.

Sly knelt down to him and took hold of his paw. "I'm here, Pop."

"I was only going to tell Yasmin that Khairi had died and that we must find you and wed the two of you. I had _no_ intention of going in that cave... until I heard from the cheetah that _you_ were still inside it with hyenas." He smirked slightly. "You were always so stubborn, always wanting to go your own way. After what happened to your siblings, I wanted you to live to a ripe old age, so I always followed you or had someone follow you to make sure you were all right. But last night no one was watching you and you disappeared. When I heard you were in there with hyenas... well..." He coughed and smiled weakly. "At least I can die happy, knowing my son outlives me."

Sly swallowed. "Don't _say_ that. Youre going to make it. You'll be bugging me, giving me advice-"

"I've lived long enough, Sly." Sly gasped, shocked that Sengbe called him by his nickname rather than his full name, like he normally would do. "You've been old enough to make decisions by yourself, but I was too blind to notice. You may choose if you wish to marry, or where you want to go. I won't make those decisions for you anymore simply for _my_ best interests."

"Sengbe..." Yasmin began.

"I'm sorry, Yasmin, but I won't be able to be your advisor now. I hope you can understand."

She nodded. "I think I can handle it on my own. A flower has to blossom sometime." She looked at Zuri and grinned. Zuri smiled and nodded.

"There's something I have to tell you," Sly said, getting Sengbe's attention.

"What is it, Sly?" Sengbe asked.

"I..." Sly sighed, trying to find the right wording. After all, how do you tell someone that he is not your birth father?

"Yes?"

"I..." He exhaled, and then weakly smiled. "I never got the chance to thank you... for being there for me. You'll always be my father."

"And you'll always be my son." He winced and exhaled. "Take care of yourself."

"... Pop? _Pop?_" Silence. Sly sighed and gently dropped his father's paw. Zuri and Yasmin bowed their heads as Sly bent over, lifted his father up enough, and hugged him.

_To be continued..._


	50. Believe It

Yay, milestone! Here's number 50! Considerably shorter than the last two, but that's a good thing, right? Bit of an eyestrain, neh? Read on!

Chapter 50: 

Unlike the previous night, the day passed by quickly. The sun had begun to set. Yasmin's colony had returned to the Outlands to clean up the day's mess, and the pride returned to Pride Rock. The warthogs, Kito, and Morake were sound asleep in the lions' cave, sleeping close to each other. Morake purred and scooted closer to Bango. Bango lifted his head up and rested his chin on Morake's shoulders. Kito was curled up on Bango's snout, mumbling the occasional word or two.

Zuri sat against the wall, looking at Timon, who had been asleep since they left what was left of the hyenas' geysers cave. She yawned, and slapped herself. "Stay awake, _stay awake._" She sighed sleepily and pulled the leaves that were covering Timon up higher. "I can't _believe_ how you can sleep so well..."

She then noticed Sudi walking over to her. "Sis, you should catch up on your sleep. We've been through a lot in the past two days and you need to regain your strength," he said.

"I know, but I wanna talk to Timon and every time I let him out of my sight he goes off somewhere."

"He's got a broken toe. I don't think he'll go too far if you sleep for a few hours. Everyone else is." He paused for a moment as he looked out towards the exit of the cave, where Sly was sitting, looking up at the sky. "Well... _almost_ everyone else."

Zuri looked where her brother was. "Can you blame him?"

"Not at all. He hasn't said a word since we traveled to the old tunnels and buried Sengbe next to his mate. I'm surprised he's even still with us."

"Maybe he's taking me up on my offer."

He looked at Zuri. "Did you tell him about his connection to Timon?"

Zuri rubbed an eye. "No... and I don't think I should bring it up to him yet. Not after all this. Besides, if _anyone_ should tell him it should be Panya. He'll probably hurt a little less by the time we get there."

"Here's hoping." Sudi turned to walk away, but glanced over his shoulder. "Seriously, Zuri, you should get some sleep. You'll feel better yourself."

"I told you before, I'm not..." Zuri yawned loudly and snorted softly, "... a bit sleepy."

Sudi grinned as he walked away. "_Uh-huh._ I'm giving you five minutes before your chin starts to droop."

Zuri watched her brother walk away, and then snorted softly as she brought her knees to her chest. "Smart aleck brother. I can last a _lot_ longer than five minutes." She yawned again and rested her folded arms on top of her knees. She then laid her head down and closed her eyes. "Just rest my eyes for a minute..."

_One hour later..._

A small gust of wind blew into the cave, pushing the leaves up closer to Timon's face. It was so close that the steam of one of the leaves brushed his nostril. His nose wrinkled, and then he sat up and sneezed. He sniffled and rubbed his nose. "If I didn't know better I'd say someone made me sneeze on _purpose._" He checked his paw and then crossed his eyes to look at his nose. "At least I don't have whipped cream in my paw _or_ on my nose," he said to himself. He winced softly and put a paw to his head. "Why is it whenever I run into a hyena I end up either bleeding or sore?"

"Just lucky, I guess," Zuri replied in a groggy voice. Timon looked at Zuri, surprised, but then relaxed. She was talking in her sleep and was now lying down. "_Another_ tarantula daiquiri? Only if you find the ice." She mumbled something else and then rolled onto her stomach.

Timon smiled and softly chuckled. He went to wake her when he felt the wind brush past his ears. He stopped and squinted slightly. "You mean he's _here?_" he softly asked. He looked towards the exit, where Sly was still sitting. He looked at Zuri, and then back to Sly. He exhaled and grabbed the stick that was lying next to him. "I _did_ promise I'd try to get along with him..." He stood and walked towards the exit, noticing he had a new, better cast on his right foot.

Sly was looking up at the sky, lost in the stars. He felt the wind brush against him, which brought him back to reality. He shook his head to clear it when he heard some clumping noises approaching. He smirked slightly as he looked back to the stars. "Finally back among the living, eh?"

Timon stepped up next to him and furrowed his brow slightly. "It was a very long night for _some_ people, thank you." He noticed the distant look in Sly's face, and softened his slightly. "Get a hold of a bad bug?"

"I wish."

"So what's with the long face?"

"Sengbe. I know he wasn't my father, but..." Sly sighed and shook his head.

"What do you mean _'wasn't'?_"

"I mean he died from his injuries. Died in my arms, basically."

Timon blinked and then rubbed the back of his neck as he sat down next to Sly. "Sorry. I know the feeling. But what I was confused about was that 'wasn't my father' bit. I take it you went back and got the answers?"

Sly nodded. "_Lots_ of answers. One of them included that he wasn't even my birth father. Another..." He then pulled the doll that was hanging from his vine belt. "I don't suppose you'd recognize this?"

Timon wrinkled his eyebrows and looked at the doll. "Yeah... I used to have a doll just like that when I was a pup. Where'd you get that?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"That's twice you've told me that. I wanna know what's so unbelievable about it," Timon frowned.

"Sure. I've got time. See, a few hours after I ran away from you..."

_10 minutes later..._

"... I don't believe it," Timon said with a straight face. "It's odd enough that _you,_ of all people, are my long-lost brother, but that my _father_ goes into your head and does a whole 'This Was Suppose To Be Your Life' thing?"

"Yup. And then I started waking up. But was it _real?_"

"Well, I can vouch for being there when Dad died and when I left the colony... everything else I wasn't there for or I was too young to remember. And Pete _does_ have a nice scar on his back."

"Hmph. So it _was_ real. _They_ are real." He grunted as he looked up at the sky again. "Now I understand why Zuri said it wouldn't work out between us anymore." He groaned as he put a paw over his eyes. "_Oy..._ I can't _believe_ she's my sister-in-law now."

"_I _can't believe Kito actually _found_ you." Timon scratched his head, considering. "Actually, _you_ found _him,_ didn't you? Well, either way... will everyone at the oasis be surprised! And Ma... she'll probably have a heart attack!" Sly gulped. "OK, maybe not a heart attack, but I'll bet you a June bug sandwich and a side of flies that she'll cry. After that, I'll show you the best spot to build a nest."

"I'm not too sure if I wanna stay there yet, Timon." Timon wrinkled his eyebrows slightly. "Don't get me wrong, it sounds like a great place, but is it for me?"

Timon gave him a weird look. "Is it for you? Ha! It's for _anyone,_ Sly! Or is it Titus?" He scratched his head again. "Maybe Slitus? Tly? How 'bout Tylvester?"

Sly grimaced slightly. "I'd prefer Sly, thanks."

"Right, right, right. Anyway, I can make Hakuna Matata work for anyone! Once you get into the spirit, you'll feel right at home. Just spend a few days there and see how you like it."

"I don't know..."

Timon sat up a bit more squarely. "You'll know at least _half_ of the meerkats there, remember. And you have to at _least_ meet Ma and Uncle Max. Oh, and then there's Pete."

"I _would_ like to see that scar up close..." Sly said as he put a finger to his chin. He pouted his lips a moment, and then looked at Timon. "By the way, is there any particular reason why you can't say the 'L' word to Zuri?"

Timon gulped slightly and then let out a cough. "To be honest, I can't remember. I could say it just fine before I met her and maybe a little bit after I met her." He cleared his throat. "Luh... loh... lie..." He coughed and hit himself in the forehead. "_D'oh!_" Sly softly snickered. Timon furrowed his brow at Sly's amused grin. "It's _not_ funny, Sylvester." He sighed and rested his chin in his paws. "I just wish I could say it without choking and make her happy."

Sly tapped his chin, and then snapped his fingers. "I know one way you could do it without choking, and she'd understand it."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Listen carefully..." He leaned over to Timon and whispered in his ear.

_To be continued..._


	51. Apologies

I'm annoyed... another chapter I split into two. Oy, I hope the next story I write doesn't do this to me as often as this did. I'll post the next chapter within the next day or two. I like some of the outcome in this chapter, some I'm not crazy about and wish I had done better, but I'm tired of racking my brain. Read on and I'll post a little A/N at the end of the chapter. 

Chapter 51:

A few hours had passed. Zuri opened her eyes and sat up, yawning. "Nothing like a power nap," she said to herself as she absentmindedly kicked some leaves off herself. She looked outside and widened her eyes, shocked at how dark it had gotten in what she thought was a few minutes. "_Ahh!_ I fell asleep!" She looked at where Timon was lying and furrowed her brow. "The _minute_ I take my eyes off him, he takes off again. I am _so_ gonna kill that meerkat." She stood and walked outside the cave, past Sly. "If he's off looking for Titus again-!"

Sly felt the breeze Zuri created as she walked by, so he opened his eyes. "Hey, where's the fire?"

Zuri stopped and looked back at him. "Sorry I woke you, Sly. Timon's run off somewhere again. I'm gonna see if I can catch up to him."

"Shouldn't be too hard. Last time I saw him he went up to the top," Sly gestured upward with his finger. "Said he was gonna do some star gazing or something.

"_Really,_" Zuri blinked. "Well, I guess if he's still awake, it's as good a time as any to talk to him." She went to leave, but stopped herself after a step. "Listen, Sly, about last night... I'm sorry that happened. I didn't mean to confuse you or hurt your feelings."

"Don't go worrying about it, Zuri. I had already forgotten it until you brought it up."

Zuri nervously smiled, "Sorry again."

"Like I said, don't worry about it. I'm glad you moved on with your life and found someone who makes you happy. I only hope I'll find someone like that someday."

"You will, Sly. I know it."

"To be honest, I was more confused about that 'mother's eyes' comment than I was sad about not starting over with you."

"I guess I should explain that-"

"You can explain it later. Go talk to Timon. You've both put it off long enough."

Zuri smiled, walked back over to Sly, and kissed him on the cheek. She then walked the path that would lead her to the very top of Pride Rock, where she saw Timon, lying on his back and looking up at the stars. She cleared her throat and said, "You enjoy open skies, don't you?"

Timon looked at her and sat up. "I like the fireflies. Sue me." He patted the ground next to him, inviting her to sit down. She did. They both sat in an awkward silence, one waiting for the other to break it. Finally, Timon began, "Zuri, I-"

Zuri began at the same moment. "Timon-" Zuri cleared her throat again.

"Go first. I know you've been wanting to talk to me for a few days."

She drew in a deep breath, slowly letting it out. "I guess I should start in saying... I'm sorry. I know you overheard Sly and me last night and..." She grimaced and looked down at the flower bracelet she was wearing. "I don't know how much you heard, but I'm ashamed I even said some of those things. I was just getting some things off my chest."

Timon noticed the flower bracelet. "Zuri... if you want to go back to Sly, just say it. I won't stop you." He began to stand. "After all, I heard you two exchange the 'L' word and lip-lock, and you do deserve the best... I admit I agree with Sudi on that part."

Zuri sputtered a bit as Timon moved to walk away, and then yanked on his tail to pull him back down. "Get back here!"

He grunted and landed on his backside. He rubbed it and growled softly, "Would you mind not doing that?"

"I'm not finished talking and _you_ are not finished listening." Timon snorted slightly and folded his arms in front of his chest. "I'm not getting back together with Sly."

"Why not?" Timon looked confused.

"I thought I still loved him, but it didn't feel right. To be honest I don't even know how we ended up closing the gap like that."

"Eh, kissing cheeks sometimes leads to lips," Timon grimaced.

"I didn't feel anything... it was like kissing my uncle." Timon arched an eyebrow. "OK, maybe a _little_ better than kissing my uncle." She exhaled softly and looked right at Timon. "But it wasn't anything like kissing you."

"But he was your first boyfriend. If he was still in the colony you'd-"

"I would still be engaged to Makali. Remember, Sly was beaten by Makali to prove he was worthy for me, and lost. And then you came along and took him outwith a single punch." Timon grinned and threw a punch in the air. "You and Sly may be alike in a lot of ways, but you're different in some ways, too."

"Yeah, I know... lazy and childish," Timon rolled his eyes.

Zuri grinned slightly as she crawled over to kneel behind Timon, rested her paws on one of his shoulders, and rested her chin on her paws. "There's a lot more to you than that. I can't think of any differences right off the top of my head, but I can think of reasons why I did fall for you."

Timon glanced at her. "I'm listening."

"You make me laugh, you comfort me when I'm sad, you showed me how to have fun... and because of you I can feel _love_ towards my father. And my father returns the feeling towards everyone else. _No one_ could do that before you came along, not even Sly."

Timon was enjoying the compliments. "Go on."

She softly exhaled. "You made me feel like a somebody when I felt like a nobody. You made me feel... wanted. Happy. I hadn't felt that way in a long time." She sat up and pulled the flower bracelet off her wrist, leaned forward, and put it in his paws. "I was going to give this to you earlier, so you'd know that even though Sly came back into my life _you_ and the kids are still going to be my top priority."

Timon looked at the bracelet, and then looked back at her. "Yeah?"

She nodded. "Yeah. That's what I had in mind when Yasmin gave it to me."

"_Yasmin_ gave this to you?"

"Sure. Who did you think gave it to me? Sly?"

Timon sniffed the flowers and then shrugged. "Well, _yes,_ at first. Then I was thinking Kito, since he's in a lot of trouble right now."

"You worry too much," Zuri grinned as she leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek. "But I guess after I pressured you to say the 'L' word, I don't blame you." Timon grimaced slightly as Zuri walked around and sat down next to him. "I do agree with Sudi, though: I _do_ deserve the best." She leaned against Timon and rested her head on his shoulder. "And I've already got it."

Timon was silent for a moment, and then he cleared his throat. "I loh... luh... lah..." He coughed and slapped a paw over his eyes. "_Oy..._ you."

Zuri grimaced and lifted her head from his shoulder to look at him. "Gotta give you credit for _trying_ anyway. I know you love me, and I love you..." She sighed and leaned backward, looking up at the stars. "But just _once,_ I wish I could hear you say it." Timon looked at her, and then cleared his throat again. Zuri didn't look at him. "Don't choke on anything for my sake, Timon."

"Oh, I won't..." Timon said with a grin. He cracked his knuckles and shook them in the air briefly, loosening them up. He crawled in front of Zuri, blocking her view of the stars. She furrowed her brow and looked up at him, wondering what he was doing. He held up his right paw and extended his thumb, pointer finger, and pinkie, keeping the middle finger down. Zuri squinted and sat up, looking at the paw. "I'm... doing it right, aren't I?" Timon asked awkwardly. He yelped when Zuri suddenly jumped on him, causing them both to fall over, him on his back. He felt Zuri's arms around him and let out a relieved sigh. "I guess I was."

Zuri pushed herself up enough to look at him. "I didn't know you knew sign language."

"I don't. I told Sly about my problem and he told me about a sign that meant those words."

She blinked. "Sly? _That_ Sly?" She pointed downward. Timon nodded. "You mean you two are getting along?"

"Well, we're not trying to rip each other's throats out anymore. But as his brother I'll have to work hard to get along with him."

"_What?_ You mean you _know_ he's Titus?"

Timon suddenly sat up and pushed her down onto her back in a playful manner, but he looked annoyed. "A-ha! So you _did_ know and you kept it from me! You sneaky little-"

Zuri sat up a bit and returned the annoyed look. "One of the reasons I couldn't tell you was because _you_ kept running off, Great Timon."

"OK, point taken..."

"Sorry again. But honestly, is this the kind of thing you should hear from your mate instead of your mother?"

Timon pouted his lips slightly. "That's a change..."

"What is?"

"_You_ apologizing to _me._ There's never a camera around when you need one." He was suddenly pushed down onto his back and Zuri sat up, keeping her paws on him.

"What was that?"

Timon nervously grinned, "Umm... sorry?" He then paused, looking at the position Zuri and himself were in.

Zuri blinked. "What?"

"I think I remember why I had trouble saying the 'L' word... and it was _your_ fault."

She looked insulted. She pulled Timon into a sitting position, and then pinned him back down to the ground. "_My_ fault? What did _I_ do?"

"Ow. First of all, can I sit up?" Zuri pouted her lips, thinking, and then nodded. She allowed Timon to sit up and sat down next to him. "It was right after our parents surprised us with this arranged-marriage thing and I took you on a tour of the oasis for the first time..."

_To be continued..._

Sign language, not a bad idea, eh? Actually I hadn't thought of it until earlier last week when I found a fan comic (I forget where I saw it and I wasn't familiar with the characters). One guy wished his girlfriend could say "I love you" just once (I dunno, there wasn't enough explanation... either mute and/or deaf) and she used sign language to say "I love you." I thought it was sweet. OK, next chapter'll be up soon. See ya then!


	52. The 'L' Word

Here's that flashback sequence I was gonna have in Chapter 44, but it didn't find its place there. Basically it takes place before the epilogue of Someone Like You. I think it's a cute chapter, myself. Altered some fromthe original version, but not much. I might include it when I post the Deleted Scenes chapter later. 

To **Maran Zelde**, yes, I am doing better on the updates, basically because all the hard stuff's done. All the scheming, who goes where, who does what, and so on. I like the outcome on the most part.

To **Nachonaco:** Haven't see you for a while. No, the acronym for _Someone Like You_ (SLY) wasn't planned. In fact it was still a while before I thought up a lost brother, let alone his name. At the time I started it, for all I knew it was probably going to be my last _TLK_ fic for a while. Good thing it wasn't, huh? I think this chapter and the next and this story's at an end. _**Finally!**_ Now if I can _just_ think of the next storyline I'd be set...

Chapter 52:

_9 months ago..._

The sun had begun to set. Timon was leading Zuri through the oasis. "Uh, let's see... there's a leaf over there... and there's a mud hole over there that Pumbaa likes to wallow in every now and then. If your friend Jina sticks around she'll want to see that." Timon took a look at Zuri, who looked extremely bored. He gave her a sheepish smile. "Sorry, Zuri, I'm not really the best at giving tours."

"I've noticed," Zuri replied dryly.

He ran a paw through his hair. "Also this is pretty much the first time I've taken a normal walk with a girl, besides Ma anyway. Guess I'm kind of flustered."

Zuri grinned and leaned against him as they walked. "Come on, Timon, loosen up."

Timon blushed slightly and took a step away from her. "Loosen up. Easy for _you_ to say. I've never been engaged before. You probably had to beat the boys back with a stick before you got stuck with Makali. I went down on the first pin during our competition for mating rights... not that it would've mattered anyway."

"You mean none of the girls liked you?"

"Tunnel klutz, remember?" He frowned when Zuri giggled.

Zuri noticed his frown and quickly put on a straight face. "Sorry."

"No, you're not." She let out a few more giggles. "Besides that, I guess I was giving the wrong signals. I was trying to score points before competition with some of the girls. One girl said she couldn't marry me because of medical reasons."

"Medical reasons?" Zuri blinked.

"I made her sick."

Zuri winced softly. "Ouch. Well, even if you did score points, we wouldn't have ended up together."

"Heh. Yeah, I guess some good came out of that." He stretched a bit, releasing a few cricks. As he stretched he heard rushing water, and grinned. "I guess I can show you that spot, since we're right here."

"What spot?"

Timon took her paw and pulled her along. "You'll see."

"I don't like surprises, Timon," Zuri said as she ducked under some low-hanging branches.

Timon pushed aside from vines and stepped through. "You'll like this one, trust me." Zuri stepped through and gasped. Ahead of them was a lake with a small waterfall covered in loosely hanging vines and vibrant bushes and trees. It seemed untouched. "I, uh... I rarely come to this part of the oasis. Don't ask me why. I guess it's just one of those spots I don't wanna go to alone."

"It's _gorgeous._"

Timon shrugged as he walked over towards the edge of the lake. "Yeah, I guess so, if you _like_ this sort of thing." He picked up a pebble and tossed it into the water. It skipped along the water a few times before sinking.

Zuri watched with wide eyes. "How'd you do that?"

"All in the wrist, babe," Timon replied with a twist of his wrist and a grin.

"... _'Babe?'_" With that Zuri playfully pushed Timon into the water. Timon yelped and made a splash.

Timon resurfaced, and spat water out of his mouth like a fountain statue. Zuri put a paw over her mouth and laughed. Timon grinned. "Oh, you like that, huh? Well, take _that!_" He floated on his back and kicked some water her way, drenching her. She stood there with an annoyed expression while Timon had his turn to laugh. "That's a good look for you!" he teased.

Zuri shook the water out of her fur and brushed down any piece of fur or hair that was stuck up. "Well, I _was_ going to pull you out, but now I don't think I will." Zuri grinned and walked away. She soon found herself running when she heard Timon climb out of the water and was running to catch up with her. He ran and tackled her from behind to the ground. They had stopped near a neighboring pond.

"Got ya!"

"Why, you-!" Zuri growled and pushed him back with the back of her foot. She then turned and pushed him down to the ground. "Sneak attack _me,_ will you?"

"I wouldn't call that a sneak attack. I'm not exactly wearing my sneakers," Timon pointed to his bare feet. Zuri went to take a look, and then Timon got up and pinned her to the ground. "Got ya again."

"Now _that_ was a sneak attack," Zuri said with a dry look.

"Guilty."

Zuri grinned and started to sit up a little. She looked past Timon's shoulder and said, "Hi, Papa." Timon gulped and then looked back, seeing nothing. Just then Zuri pushed Timon onto his back, pinning him. "Got ya back."

Timon nervously chuckled. "Fell for the oldest trick in the book. You do a lot of reading?" Zuri chuckled, and then both became silent for a moment. "Are... you gonna let me up?"

"Mmm... mm-mm."

"What if I said something you'd wanna hear?"

Zuri leaned down closer to him and grinned. "Like what?"

Timon pouted his lips for a minute, thinking. Zuri leaned down closer, taking that as an invitation. He was too busy thinking of the right wording to pay attention to what she was doing. "How about something along the lines of 'I lo-'" Timon didn't finish his sentence. That's when Zuri leaned down further, having him right where she wanted him, and kissed him. He was not expecting that. Timon's eyes were as big as dinner plates, and the rest of him felt numb. He started to get some feeling back as she pulled away. "Loh-loh-luh..."

"Hmm... that's a new one. Broken record." She snapped her fingers in front of his face, and he seemed to regain his senses. "Better now?"

Timon shook his head to clear it and sat up, blushing. "What was _that_ for?"

"Are you saying you didn't like it?"

"Oh, no, no, I liked it. I really, _really_ liked it. I just wasn't expecting it, that's all."

Zuri frowned slightly as she stood and dusted herself off. "Hmm. You really have had a lack of contact with girls." She took a glance at him. "You've never even _kissed_ one before."

Timon stood and dusted himself off, letting the blush dissolve away. "Girls never liked me before, that's all."

Zuri stood in front of Timon. "I'm a girl. And I like you."

"Just _like?_" Timon asked with an arched brow. "A girl doesn't kiss a guy she just _'likes.'_"

"Love then." Timon felt the blush come back and swallowed. She leaned closer to his face. "You feel the same way, right?"

"I..." Timon gulped, feeling a lump in his throat. "I..." He felt the lump get bigger. He tried to swallow, but found it a little difficult. He walked over to the pond they had stopped by and took a few sips to help it go down. It helped. He tapped his throat a bit to work it out, and then he turned back to face Zuri, finding she was turning around and starting to walk away. "Hey, where are you going?"

"Knowing my father he'll want us to head back before the sun sets. It's a long walk back to the Pride Lands. We need to get everyone ready for the move this week," she said, looking disappointed.

Timon slapped himself in the forehead and ran to catch up to her. "I'm sorry, I don't know what just happened there!" He stepped in front of her, keeping her from walking. "I just had something in my throat."

"What were you gonna say?"

"That..." He swallowed again, feeling the lump developing again. He cleared his throat and tried to think of something else to say to make her feel better. "That... I feel the same way." He cleared it again. "And... I regret that I didn't say thanks."

"For what?"

He leaned down to her and kissed her. Zuri was a bit surprised at first, but quickly returned it. Timon pulled away and said, "That."

"You're... welcome." Zuri waved a paw in front of her face. "Are you hot, too?" Timon grinned and started to walk away with her. "Can't wait 'til later this week..."

"Me neither." Timon was happy, but he wondered what that lump in his throat was about.

_Present..._

"You mean because I sprung that kiss on you just as you were going to say the 'L' word, you started having trouble saying it from then on when you're thinking about saying it?" Zuri asked.

"Only thing I can think of," Timon shrugged. "That _was_ my first kiss, after all. I guess I didn't think about it being the cause of my stutter, dry mouth, or the lump in my throat."

"Well, how do we fix it?"

Timon laid on his back and looked up at the stars. "I don't know. Maybe I'll never be able to say it to you when I'm thinking about saying it... when I'm not angry at least."

"Angry?"

"Yeah, the last few days I found I could say it when I was angry." He counted the times on his fingers. "When Sudi said I was just a replacement Sly to you, when Pumbaa suggested that you asked Sly to come back with us and you spending time with him, when Pumbaa asked me if really I cared for you-"

"Why would you get mad at that?"

"The way he _asked_ it, Zuri. I mean, we have pups together. We're raising them together. I have _everything_ I ever wanted, and he asks if I care for you?"

She laid down on her back next to Timon. "I guess that would make you mad. But I don't want to hear those words coming from you when you're angry. I want them to be sincere, gentle." She looked up at the stars, and suddenly blinked. "I just thought of something. Maybe it's not even _my_ fault, but _yours._"

Timon sat up to look at her, looking insulted. "_My_ fault?"

"I think it's suggestive thinking that you can't say the 'L' word, and your brain is using my surprise kiss attack as an excuse for your stutter and lump in your throat. That, and/or maybe you just don't have the stomach to say it right to my face." Timon furrowed his brow, still looking insulted. "After all, most males can't say the words if they don't have enough confidence." She looked at Timon with a teasing grin. "Apparently that includes _you,_ Mr. Smart-Aleck Tough Guy."

Timon furrowed his brow a little deeper. "Smark aleck tough guy?"

"Mm-hmm..." Zuri nodded.

"Not enough confidence?" he folded his arms in front of his chest.

"Mm-hmm..." she nodded again.

"Suggestive thought?"

"Mm-hmm."

"... Anyone ever tell you you're great with conversation?" Timon asked sarcastically. Zuri grinned and nodded. "All right, you want me to tell you how I feel without you saying something first?"

"Be a nice change." Zuri then flipped onto her stomach and rested her chin in her paws, kicking her legs back in forth slowly as she looked at Timon. Timon drummed his fingers on the ground, thinking of how he wanted to say it. After a few minutes he stopped drumming and sighed. Zuri frowned. "What?"

Timon grabbed his cane and stood, taking a few steps forward. "I'm distracted by some thoughts."

"Like what?"

"Like, when I saw you with Sly, I felt like someone kicked me in the stomach. When I thought you were a part of that massacre, I..." He let out a sigh and shook his head. "I hadn't felt so beside myself since Dad died. If anything had happened to you..." He bowed his head and closed his eyes. Zuri stood and began to walk towards him. "You're the best thing to happen to me in a long time. I love you too much to lose you."

Zuri gasped softly. She walked to the front of Timon and lifted his face up. "_What_ did you say?"

Timon opened his eyes and furrowed his brow. "You weren't listening while I poured my heart out? What were you, day dreaming?"

She quickly shook her head. "No, no, I heard all that. I just wanted to make sure I heard that last part correctly."

"I said I love-" Timon stopped himself, realizing he said the 'L' word. _Twice._ He swallowed and said, "I said... I love you." He surprised himself. He didn't stutter, his mouth was wet, and there was no lump in his throat. "Zuri, I'm cured! I can _say_ it!"

Zuri smiled and put her arms around his neck. "See? Suggestive thought. And for the first time _I_ can say, I love you, too." She leaned up and kissed him. He returned it as he wrapped his arms around her. She pulled away and grinned, "But do that stutter again and I'll dunk your head underwater with the piranhas and snapping turtles."

Timon nervously smiled. "Yes, dear."

_To be continued..._


	53. Can We Keep Him?

OK, so there's one MORE chapter before this is done. Oh well. You guys usually like reading this stuff. Had to resolve some issues before I closed this puppy. You'll like. Trust me. Be back soon! UPDATE: Removed _Out Of The Blue_ lyrics. 

Chapter 53:

The sun had been up for a few hours at Pride Rock. The pride had gathered to say good-bye to the meerkats and warthogs. "Do you _really_ have to go so soon?" Kiara asked as she lowered her nose down to their level.

"Yup. After all that we've been through this week we need to relax back home. But we'll come back with the kids for a visit, like we always do," Pumbaa said.

"Well, with kids of your own, I guess we won't be calling you to baby-sit, will we?" Kovu joked.

Timon looked exhausted just at the thought. "_Oy..._ Thank the Circle of Life. Kiara was enough of a handful." He snapped to attention. "_**What?**_ I thought you two weren't old enough for cubs yet!"

Kiara giggled as she leaned against Kovu. "We're not. Just playing with you."

Timon frowned. "Not funny."

Zuri snickered. "But do let us know when you're expecting so we can be here for the event," she said.

"Oh, don't worry, we will. We'll be sure to send Zazu," Kovu said.

Zazu flapped down from his nest and float in front of Kovu. "Don't _I_ get a say in this? I get aching wings every time I fly over there!"

Vitani walked over towards her brother and snatched Zazu in-between her paws. "_You're_ the King's Major Dumbo, remember. It's your job," she said. "If you don't retire by then."

"That's Major _Domo,_ _thank_ you, Vitani," he huffed as he pulled out of Vitani's paws. She shrugged.

"I like Major Dumbo better. It's funnier," Kito mumbled to Bango and Morake. Both snickered.

Simba gave Vitani a stern look, and then stepped up to the group. "Timon, Pumbaa, the Pride Lands owe you a great thanks. Because of you we've solved the mystery of the _Nunda_ and made certain the hyenas have left the Outlands for good." He nodded to Sly. "But at a price. My condolences for Sengbe."

Sly bowed, "Thank you, Sire."

"Aww, you don't have thank us, Simba," Pumbaa said.

Timon poked him in the side. "Yes, he does." Pumbaa snorted hot breath on Timon, puffing his fur up. "_What?_ I like being thanked." He smoothed his fur out.

Simba chuckled. "You'd better get going before the sands warm up."

"OK. Next time it'll be a real visit!" Timon promised. "I'll just make sure my toe heals by that time." They shared a few hugs and then the meerkats climbed onto the warthogs' back as they walked down Pride Rock.

Morake hopped down the steps and then sat at the base. He watched as the group began to walk away and let out a few whines. Kito was riding on Bango's back as both looked back at the cheetah. Bango turned around and walked over to him. "Morake, what's the matter?" he asked.

Morake sniffled and twirled his paw on the ground. "You two didn't even say good-bye to me."

Kito climbed on top of Bango's head to look at Morake. "Why would we say good-bye if you're-?" He paused, a look of realization on his face. "You mean you're not coming with us?"

"Wasn't invited," Morake shrugged. He tried putting on a brave front. "I-I'll get along fine on my own... like I did before I met you guys. I'm sure when I tell other animals I don't eat meat they'll let me play with them... _maybe._" Kito and Bango were silent. The adults noticed they were missing the kids, so they turned and walked back over.

"What's the hold-up?" Timon asked impatiently.

"We didn't invite Morake to come back with us. Can he, Dad? _Please?_" Kito asked Timon with big eyes.

"Hey-hey-hey, do you have a license for those big eyes? Put those away." Kito pouted. "You don't have to beg. If he wants to come back with us for a visit, then of course he can come."

Jina walked up next to Pumbaa, and Zuri climbed on top of Jina's head to looked at Timon. "Uh, Timon, I think he's asking for us to _keep_ him," Zuri said.

"Oh, he's asking us to keep-" Timon nodded, and then understood. "_**KEEP HIM?**_ After all you put us through this week, you're asking us if we can keep a _cheetah cub?_" He asked himself, "What _is_ it with this family and befriending big cat cubs?"

"_Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaassssssse,_ Dad?" Kito asked.

"_Pleeeeeeaaaaaaaaaassssse,_ oh, please, oh, please, oh, please, oh, please?" Bango begged, wagging his tail.

"Pretty please with a cockroach on top?" Morake asked, swishing his tail.

"Look at him! He's lost and lonely and all alone. He'll _die_ if he stays out here!" Bango begged.

"Yeah! He's our friend!" Kito said.

"And I'm an orphan, after all," Morake sniffled.

"I don't know, kids. You know how your Uncle Pumbaa feels about cheetahs," Zuri said as she motioned a thumb to Pumbaa.

Kito, Bango, and Morake moaned and lowered their heads. Jina looked at Pumbaa, and then motioned to Morake. Pumbaa looked at Jina, and then cleared his throat and furrowed his brow. "She's right, Bango. You _know_ how I feel about cheetahs. He would've been allowed to come back with us if he had done something worthwhile." Morake whined and then began to walk away. Pumbaa noticed and stood in front of him. Morake looked at him, and blinked when he smiled. "And I think saving my life is worthwhile enough."

"Are you sure, Pumbaa?" Timon asked as he bent over to look at Pumbaa.

"Yup! A cheetah isn't that much different than a lion, after all."

"You mean we can keep him?" both Kito and Bango asked eagerly. Timon and Pumbaa looked at their mates, who both nodded. They turned back to their sons and nodded. "_Ya-hoo!_" they both cheered, then both received licks from Morake. "Yuck..."

Then Morake pounced over to Pumbaa and gave him a lick. "Thanks, Mr. Pumbaa!"

Pumbaa chuckled slightly as he wiped the saliva off his cheek. "You're welcome."

Jina gave Pumbaa a loving nudge. "That's the Pumbaa I know and love," she said.

Pumbaa returned it. "Love you, too." He then cleared his throat when he realized they were being watched. "What?"

"Not that I'm not enjoying this warm, fuzzy moment, but let's get going. I'd like to see my mate and pups, too," Sudi said, who was sitting on Jina's back. The warthogs and cheetah were about to leave again when they heard a voice.

"Sly, wait a minute!"

Sly climbed on top of Pumbaa's head to see Yasmin and the rest of the colony running towards them. "Yasmin?" He slid down the front of Pumbaa's snout and to the ground, being greeted by the group. "What are you doing here?"

"I guess we came to say good-bye," one meerkat said.

"Are you sure you don't want to stay?" another asked.

Sly sighed and shrugged. "I never really earned the place to stay with you. But now, for the first time, I have the choice to go my own way, and maybe I'll find a place I can really call home." He looked to Yasmin and rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "I'm sorry, Yasmin, but I-"

Yasmin nodded, "I understand. I can handle the colony on my own. And don't worry about us. We're resourceful. We'll start over; find a new home, start a new life, mend our wounds." She looked up at Timon. "Thank you for helping us to avenge our colony, Great Timon. You truly are the son of Fearless Buzz."

"Uh, no problem," Timon said, unsure what he could've said instead. "Glad I could help out."

"Uh, speaking of which, Yasmin-" Sly began.

"Sly... just go. I don't want you to see me cry," Yasmin said softly.

"... I'm sorry I couldn't love you the way you wanted me to," he said as he pulled her into a hug.

"I'm sorry I tried to force you to." He pulled away and kissed her on the cheek. He then waved to the rest of the colony before climbing back onto Pumbaa's back.

"Take care of yourself, Yasmin," Zuri said.

"You too, Zuri," Yasmin nodded.

The rest gave their good-byes as the two groups began to walk away. Yasmin strayed behind for a moment. "Someday... maybe we could start again."

"Yasmin?" a meerkat asked, looking back.

Yasmin shook her head to clear it. "I-I'm coming." She turned and began to walk away. She stopped for a moment and looked over her shoulder. "Good-bye, Sly." She then ran to catch up to the rest of the colony.

_To be concluded..._


	54. Finally Home

Hmm, have a few worried reviewers I see. Relax; I'm not planning to hang up my keyboard anytime soon. I have too fun doing this stuff! The only problem is I don't know what I should do for the next storyline. Trying to think of something with Shani and Barika, maybe. Though I'm _seriously_ thinking of doing an alternate version of _The Lion King_ where Simba meets Timon and Pumbaa as kids. It'd be mostly out of community with my series, though. If anyone wants to throw suggestions or ideas my way, I'll grab my catcher's mitt. And I _know_ I said this was going to be the last chapter, but it got too long and I'm still working on the last little bit of the chapter. Got tired, so I decided to post something. So, here's the second-to-last chapter, not including the Deleted Scenes! 

Chapter 54:

That afternoon Barika raced along the oasis floor, looking up the trees as Shani jumped from branch to branch. "Find any ripe fruit yet?" she called up to her meerkat cousin.

Shani stopped at one branch, looking at the fruits it contained. She inspected the colors and pushed against one fruit, checking how soft it was. "Hmm... nope, not yet!" She leaned downward to look at Barika. "You shouldn't have mentioned you wanted a smoothie! Now I'm frustrated!"

"Sorry!" Barika nervously grinned. She noticed some movement in the tree coming towards them. "Looks like Pete's _finally_ catching up!"

Shani looked, seeing that Pete was indeed leaping from tree branch to tree branch, a little slower than the young pup. "Shani, don't move until I get there!" Pete called to her.

"That's an awful lot to ask for a girl my age, Pete!" Shani giggled as she jumped to the next tree branch.

Pete stopped at the branch Shani was previously on, and panted. "I'm getting too old for this." He swallowed and jumped to the next branch, just as she jumped to the next one, closer to the oasis' edge. "I'm done with playing keep-away with you, pup! Now don't do anything until I get over there!"

"Not even breath?"

Pete rolled his eyes as he prepared to jump to the next branch. "Of _course_ you can breathe, but just don't jump over anymore branches!"

"Aw, you're no fun." Shani pouted and looked towards the desert. Some movement caught her attention. "Hmm?" She jumped onto the neighboring tree branch just as Pete jumped across.

"_Shani!_" He mumbled under his breath as he leaped over to the next branch. "That's Buzz's granddaughter, all right..." Shani was about to jump to the next branch until Pete grabbed her by the tail. "Gotcha!" He lifted her up and held her up by the tail, looking at her right in the face. "Now, what part of 'don't move' did you _not_ understand?"

"I understood it all, but there's someone coming."

"Don't chance the subject."

Barika heard and looked where Shani was looking, and tilted her head to the side. "I see someone, too, Pete! Though it could be a mirage."

Pete rolled his eyes slightly and looked where Shani was pointing. He squinted and took a few steps closer to see. "Well, I'll be Rafiki's uncle... There _is_ someone out there." He set her down and put a paw over his brow, shielding the sunlight.

"Who's coming? _Who's coming?_" Barika asked, wagging her tail.

Pete squinted a little more. He could make out four large figures walking towards the oasis. As they came closer he could recognize three of them and could see smaller figures riding on them. "It's Pumbaa and Jina! And Bango's with them! They're back; they're _all_ back!"

"Kito!" Shani cheered as she grabbed a vine and climbed down and dropped onto Barika's back. Pete grabbed a vine and swung ahead to spread the word.

Barika raced into the desert towards the approaching figures. "Bango, Bango, _Bango!_"

"Rika!" Bango shouted as he ran towards his sister with Kito on his back. The two met and rubbed against each other.

"I was _so_ worried about you! Are you hurt? Did you get tortured?"

"No, but Kito kept coming up with ideas and made me a part of them, and that's just as bad," Bango replied as he briefly rolled his eyes.

Kito climbed on top of Bango's head and frowned. "Hey, they _worked,_ didn't they?" He puffed out his chest and grinned, "Because fortune favors the brave."

Bango looked up at Kito with a slight glare. "We're home now. That old saying's no good around here."

"Crud." Kito grimaced and un-puffed his chest.

"Kito! You're still in one piece!" Shani climbed on top of Barika's head to meet with Kito and hugged him. He returned it. "Did you find Uncle Titus?"

A look of realization spread over Kito's face, and then he slapped a paw over his eyes. "_D'oh!_ I _knew_ I was forgetting something!" He sighed as his sister released him. "Well, I guess we'll just have to wait 'til the next time we go to the Pride Lands."

"What, you mean we're not going back right away?" Morake asked as he stepped up to the group.

"Not after all this. I'm still waiting to see how big our grounding's gonna be for leaving the oasis by ourselves in the first place," Kito sighed again. Bango gulped.

Barika noticed Morake and yelped, running behind Pumbaa and Jina. "_**Cheetah!**_" Shani ducked into Barika's mane. Barika lowered her head and covered her eyes. "Save me!"

Pumbaa turned around and nudged her with his snout. "It's OK, Barika. This is Morake. He won't hurt you."

Barika lifted a hoof from her eyes. "Promise, Daddy?"

"Promise."

"OK..." She walked back over to Morake and offered him her hoof to shake. "Hi, I'm Barika."

Morake blinked at the hoof and then held his own paw out in front her. "I'm Morake."

Barika blinked and grabbed onto the paw, and shook. She turned her eyes to her mane, where Shani was hiding. "Don't be rude, Shani. Introduce yourself."

Shani poked her head out from the mane, which had a flower in it. When she lifted her head the flower was resting on top. "All right, all right..." She removed the flower and then climbed onto Barika's snout and offered her paw to Morake. "I'm Shani, Kito's sister."

The cheetah looked at the paw, and then licked the pup from bottom to top. "Nice to meet you."

Shani glowered as she stood there, dripping in saliva. Kito fell onto his back, laughing. "Oh, man, that's _so_ much funnier when it happens to someone else my size!"

She shook some of the saliva off as she furrowed her brow at her brother. "Laugh it up, Kito. You still owe me for covering up for you while you were gone."

"Put it on my tab."

Pumbaa and Jina walked over to the children with the meerkats on their backs, receiving their welcomes and hugs from the girls. "There's no place like home," Jina happily sighed.

Sly looked ahead at the oasis, completely in awe. "Wow... it really _is_ beautiful." He cleared his throat and turned to Timon. "But before you give me the tour or introduce me to the rest of the family, I want to meet this Panya I've heard so much about."

Kito spoke up, "You'll like her, Mr. Sly. She's really nice."

"She was at her nest, the last time I saw her, Daddy," Shani said.

"Great! We'll go grab a bite and then we'll go see her," Timon said, clapping his paws together.

Sly inhaled and started to march forward. "I'm losing patience, so let's go meet her now, no distractions." After marching a few steps, he stopped and marched back towards Timon with a nervous smile. "Uh, why don't _you_ lead the way, since you know where you're going?" Timon smirked and started to walk ahead, using his cane as a support. Sly began to follow.

"Mr. Sly?" Sly stopped and looked back when Kito said his name. "I never got to thank you for saving me from Bintaka the other night." He coughed briefly, "I-I mean, that _was_ you who blew the _Nunda_ alarm, wasn't it?"

"Yeah, it was me." Sly grinned, walked back over, and ruffled the pup's hair. "And don't mention it, Kito. I'm just glad I could help." He then turned and ran to catch up with Timon. "You've got some kid there, Timon."

"Yeah... he's a pain in the neck sometimes, though."

Sly grinned again as he elbowed Timon in the side. "Tell me one kid who's never been a pain in the neck at least once in their life."

Timon rubbed his side as furrowed his brow slightly. "The pup takes off without even leaving a note and because of that we think he's been kidnapped."

"That's just how kids are, Timon; they don't think and they don't know what's best for them. And that's why they have parents; to teach them right from wrong."

"Oh, and suddenly _you're_ a child-rearing expert?" Timon asked with a dry expression.

"You mean compared to you?" Sly arched an eyebrow. He grinned at Timon's annoyed expression. "It's just common sense, Timmy-boy. Anyone with half a brain and parental instincts would know that."

"Yeah... like Dad always said, 'Instinct will kick in.' Who knew he'd be right?"

Sly was silent for a moment, and then looked right at Timon. "You _will_ tell me about him... right?"

"Sure. What are brothers for?"

"Well..." Sly looked down at his feet. "I'm not too sure if I want a brother just yet. It'll take some time for me to think of you as one."

"Not sure yet, huh? Well then, in the meantime, how about as a friend?"

"A friend..." Sly looked back up at Timon and smiled. "I guess I could think of you as one. Sure."

_A few minutes later..._

Ma was sitting in her nest, staring at Timon's old meerkat pup doll sadly. Time seemed to have stood still. She didn't hear voices behind a nearby tree whispering. "OK, I'll talk to her and then I'll introduce you. Wait here," a voice whispered. Ma returned to reality when she heard a familiar voice. "Ma?"

She softly gasped and shook her head to clear it. She looked up and saw Timon walking towards her. She smiled. "Timmy. You're finally home." She placed the doll back into her nest and rushed over to Timon, hugging him. He returned the favor. Sly peeked out from behind the tree, watching. "Did you find Kito and Bango?"

"Yeah, they're safe. Uh, there's someone I want you to-" he began, but noticed his mother had noticed the cast on his right foot.

"What happened to your foot?" she asked.

"I tripped and broke my toe, but that's not important right-" He suddenly found himself being pushed into his mother's nest. Ma pushed some leaves over him for use as a blanket and carefully lifted his right foot up, pushed a rock in place, and rested his foot on it.

"_Not important?_ Don't you remember what happened to Uncle Louie when he broke _his_ toe? He refused to stay down, continued working, and soon that foot became limp. I will _not_ have the same thing happen to my son."

"I understand, but-" He grunted when Ma stuffed some leaves and straws behind him to prop up his head a bit more.

"I know, I know, he didn't want to have a cast on and that was part of the problem. But even with a cast on you should take it easy when you're hurt, sweetie." She rolled a coconut over to the nest and opened it up, putting a straw in it. "Now, I want you to get plenty of rest, drink lots of liquids, and stay off that foot until the bones knit, do you hear me?"

"Yeah, I know, but-" He blinked when she pushed his old doll into his paws. Sly saw that and put a paw to his mouth, holding in a laugh.

"I'm your mother, dear. I _know_ what's best for you. Now I'm going to go see Kito and see how he's doing, and you stay here, understand?" She smiled as she pinched his cheek and began to walk away. Sly saw her coming towards him and ducked back behind the tree.

Timon rubbed his cheek, and then realized she was walking away. "Wait a second, Ma!" He kicked the leaves off and hopped out of the nest, grabbing his cane and walking towards her. In his other paw he still held his old doll.

She sighed and put a paw on her hip. "What did I just say?"

"Yeah, I know, Ma, but you'll have plenty of time to baby me later. I'm trying to tell you I want you to meet somebody."

She blinked. "Oh? Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"You wouldn't let me."

She waved that reply off. "Excuses, excuses. I'll meet him when I see Kito. Now get back in that nest." She began to walk away again, but found Timon had stopped in front of her.

"He's right here, Ma!"

"He is? Then why hasn't he come out to meet me?"

Timon looked to the tree he came out from behind and grimaced. "He either died laughing or he's afraid of you." He smiled politely, "Excuse me." And then he walked to behind that tree. "What are you doing? She's waiting for you to meet her! She's gonna think you don't like her!"

"I-I don't think I can do this yet," Sly said from behind the tree.

"Hey, _you're_ the one who said you were losing patience to meet her!"

"I know, I know! But I don't know how to approach her. It just doesn't feel right."

"Don't know how to approach her? Doesn't _feel_ right? **_I'll_ help you to approach her and show you what shouldn't _feel_ right!**"

Suddenly Sly jumped out from behind, followed by Timon's left foot. "_Yeow!_" Sly rubbed his backside, turned back to Timon and growled. "That's a tender area, you know! Do that again and I'll break your _other_ toes!"

"_**Excuse me?**_" Ma spoke up.

Sly gulped, and then turned to Ma, nervously smiling. "Uh, I mean... _hi?_"

Timon, still behind the tree, slapped a paw over his eyes and shook his head. "_Oy..._ He's making _such_ a good impression already."

Ma furrowed her brow slightly as she looked at Sly, but then it softened with each passing second. It was as if she sensed something from him. He seemed familiar to her in so many ways...

Timon then stepped up between the two of them and put an arm around Ma's shoulders. "Don't let his temper fool ya, Ma, he's actually a decent guy. He just has a short fuse."

"Yeah, _especially_ when you kicked me in an area that's _still_ tender from falling from about _thirty **feet**_ onto a _hyena's_ back and _landing on my-!_" Sly began.

"See what I mean?"

"Who is he?" Ma managed to asked.

He smiled. "From your shocked expression I thought you'd never ask. Ma... I'd like you to meet Sly."

Ma's eyebrows jumped and she gasped. She looked to Sly again. "Sly? _Zuri's_ Sly? The _same_ Sly Shomari banished?"

"Same Sly Shomari. Try saying _that_ five times fast," Timon said to himself.

"Uh, yup. I'm that Sly," Sly said as he rubbed the back of his neck. "I guess you've already heard of me then."

Ma stared at Sly in disbelief for several moments. She regained herself, ducked from under Timon's arm, and pressed her paws together as she faced Timon. "Timon, there's something I _need_ to tell you. I tried to tell you before you left to find Kito, and-" she began.

"If it's about Titus," Timon motioned to Sly, "I already know."

Ma paused for a moment before responding. "_What?_" She looked to Sly, who nodded. She turned back to Timon. "You know he's...?"

He nodded, and then suddenly blinked. "Wait a second... you mean _you_ knew?"

"Only because Shomari told me about Sly the day before you left. I would've told you right then, but you were still angry with me for not telling you about Titus and I wanted to wait until you came to me."

"Sounds like we're the only ones who went through the headache of figuring it out ourselves, Timon," Sly said as he unhooked the meerkat doll from his vine belt. "But at least now..." He offered the doll to Ma and looked into her eyes. "I _finally_ understand where I got these eyes." Ma softly gasped and took the doll slowly from his paws, looking at it. "I uh... hope you don't mind that I fixed it up."

Ma took the doll Timon was holding and compared the two dolls, together for the first time in six years. The one she was given was dirtier, but had newer vines connecting the pieces. The one she took from Timon was cleaner and the vines holding it together were worn slightly. But aside from the differences, they were the same. She'd never forget that face. "I... I never thought I would _see_ you again..."

Sly leaned over to Timon. "Is she talking to me, or to that doll?"

Timon shrugged, "Probably both."

Ma looked up from the dolls and handed Timon's to him. She stepped up to Sly and looked at his face carefully. She went to touch his face, hesitating only once before she touched his cheek. She smiled weakly as tears began to well up in her eyes. "You look so much like your father..."

Sly softly mused, "That... _actually_ makes sense now." He was taken by surprise when he was pulled down to her level and hugged. He recovered and returned the favor. "Nice to meet you, too... Mom."

Ma slowly pulled away from Sly, brushing the tears from her eyes. She then looked to Timon. "I can't believe you've actually _found_ him."

Timon coughed slightly as he placed his doll back into his mother's nest. "Uh, _Kito_ found him, actually. Or Sly found him... whatever." He stepped up between the two and put an arm around their shoulders. "The point is, he's been found, he knows who he is, and we brought him home. Now we just have to introduce him to the rest of the family."

"Just... _how_ big are we talking here?" Sly asked with an arched brow.

_To be concluded... really this time!_


	55. Do I Really Belong?

I was kind of worried people forgot about me when I didn't start to get reviews after the previous chapter was up a whole day. I guess when I work on a chapter like this and the previous one for about a month... well, it's kind of hard to write down emotions. You see their expressions in your head and you don't know how to write them down, you know? Anyway, glad to know I'm still loved. I was originally going to have Bango dizzily sing a few words from _Aida_ called _Fortune Favors the Brave,_ but because of the site's policy (I've never heard of it, and I haven't read anything in the guidelines about it!) no copyrighted lyrics are allowed in fics, or else your account is deleted. That was a lot of work removing all the lyrics from this and all my other fics. Somehow they just aren't the same. I may post them on my DA account, someday. Anyway, as promised, the final story chapter! But don't forget, I'll have deleted scenes up next, so see you soon and thanks for sticking with this fic for so long! 

Chapter 55:

Sly gulped when Timon and Ma lead him to the stream, where all the meerkats had gathered. Some were in the trees and some were on the ground, scattered all over. The warthogs and Morake were also waiting there. "I've never seen so many meerkats in one place before..." he said in shock.

"Combining two colonies can do that. Let's go, dead weight," Timon said as he pushed on Sly's back to get him moving closer. The group noticed their arrival and said their greetings. A few meerkats muttered as they noticed Sly.

Uncle Max was the first to approach Timon. "Well, Timon, we weren't expecting you back for about a month," he said.

"I don't dawdle when it comes to looking for my own son, Uncle Max," Timon replied.

"Well, I'm out five pounds of praying mantises then." Timon furrowed his brow, a little insulted.

"Lovable, isn't he?" Sly asked dryly.

"Yeah. You wanna pinch his cheeks, don't you?" Ma asked. She then tensed up when she noticed Shomari walking towards them. Sly cleared his throat.

Kito, who was sitting next to the warthogs, Morake, and Shani, blinked. "Is it just me, or is there suddenly a lot of tension here?"

"Yup. Grown-up tension," Barika nodded.

"I'm surprised to see you here, Sylvester, especially since I've told you I never wanted to see your _face_ again," Shomari softly growled as Timon stepped in front of Sly to keep him from Shomari. He turned to Timon and scowled, "_Step aside,_ Timon."

Timon shook his head and stood firm. "Sorry, Dad, but I like this guy and I don't want my kids exposed to _extreme_ violence until they're at least six months old."

"Too late for some of us, Dad!" Kito called over. Bango and Morake nodded.

Sly stepped out from behind Timon and kept his eyes on Shomari. "Admit it. The only reason you never wanted to see my face again is because it looks like someone else's. That's the _real_ reason you had me kicked out of the colony."

Shomari arched an eyebrow. "I don't recall ever saying that to you."

"But you _do_ know I wasn't born into your colony, don't you?" Sly asked softly as he stepped up to Shomari with a furrowed brow. Shomari was silent. "If you're still holding a hatred because of who I look like, I won't stay. I was just making sure your kids and grandkid got home safe, and then I'll return to my life in exile. That's what you want, _isn't it,_ Shomari?"

The crowd muttered amongst themselves. The only loud noise was Pumbaa's gulp. Finally, Shomari put a paw to his chin and nodded. "You _were_ exiled from my mob, this is true. However, since the unity of my daughter and Timon we have been merged into one new single colony. New rules, new laws, new leaders, and old exiles expired. My rulings are no longer good here, so if you wish to stay in this new colony then I wouldn't stop you."

Timon blinked, surprised. Sly was equally surprised. Relieved sighs and breathing were heard all around. "He _has_ changed," Sly said to himself.

"So, introduce him," Shomari said as he patted Timon on the back.

"Uh, thanks, Dad," Timon blinked as Shomari walked away. He cleared his throat and spoke to the group. "Shomari's side of the colony may remember this guy, but for my side of the colony, I'd like for you to meet Sylvester." He was elbowed in the side by Sly. "_Ow!_ All right, all right. But you can call him Sly." There was a round of greetings to Sly, from both meerkats he recognized and meerkats he didn't recognize. "For those of you who remember Sly..." He mumbled to himself, trying to decide how to work out the right wording. "Uh... Sly's not whom you think he is. Then again, he wasn't who he thought he was either. Oy, this is confusing."

"Just spit it out, Timon!" Uncle Max shouted.

"All right, all right, all right! I'll just come right out and say it. Sly is actually my long lost brother Titus!" Sly put a paw over his eyes, a little embarrassed that Timon didn't explain the situation a little better. The group gasped and expressed their shock.

"Titus?" Pete and Uncle Max shouted from their separate locations.

Pumbaa was snacking on a grub that wondered by when Timon announced it, and coughed. Jina slapped him on the back, helping Pumbaa to swallow. When he regained himself, he expressed his shock. "_Titus?_"

Kito was snacking on a piece of fruit Barika had brought over, and then he spat it out when heard the announcement, coughing. "_**WHAT!**_"

Shani growled as rubbed the coughed fruit off the front of her fur. "And I just cleaned the fur..."

"Mr. Sly is _Uncle Titus?_" Bango asked with wide eyes. "He's been Uncle Titus this _whole_ _**entire time?**_"

"Small world," Morake blinked.

The meerkats talked amongst themselves again. "It's true?"

"_He's_ a son of Fearless Buzz?"

"He _does_ look like Buzz from here. Look at his coloring."

Kito wiped his mouth off and walked over to Sly. "_You're_ Uncle Titus?" Sly nodded. The pup stood there, aghast. "I can't believe I didn't notice it!" Kito looked him over a bit, and then to Timon, and then back to Sly. He then folded his arms in front of his chest. "Actually, I _still_ don't notice. I just don't see it."

Zuri put a paw to her mouth and laughed, "He's _your_ son all right, Timon."

"Don't start that again," Timon said with an annoyed glare.

Kito then ran over to Bango, took hold of his hoofs, and danced around in a circle with him. "We did it, Bango, we _really_ did it! We _did_ find Uncle Titus for Dad and Grandma! I told ya fortune favored the brave!" He released Bango when he noticed his cousin was getting dizzy.

"Brave fortunes the favor. Oy..." Bango dizzily said and then collapsed. Morake blinked as Shani and Barika shook their heads.

Sly grimaced as he noticed Max walking up to him and looking at his back. "Hmm... you _do_ have Panya's stripes and Buzz's colorings..." He stepped on his tail as he walked around to the front.

"_Yeowch!_" Sly growled and rolled his up furry sleeves. "Watch where you're walking, Maxie, or you're gonna be walking funny!"

Max grinned as looked at his face and then walked away. "And you certainly have Buzz's temper and Panya's eyes. I'm convinced. You're my long lost great-nephew." A few meerkats uttered their agreements.

Sly stared daggers at Max as he rubbed his tail. "He did that on purpose!"

"Obviously," Timon blinked.

"Don't worry, sweetie, I'll get him back for that one," Ma said as she patted a paw on Sly's shoulder. She took a look at Sly's tail. "Doesn't look bruised yet. Come back in an hour and I'll look it over again."

"_Mom..._" Sly said in a low tone as he snatched his tail back. "There are _people_ watching..."

They then noticed Pete walking up to them. "Ti... er, Sly? I'm glad to know I was right about you." He let out a slight chuckle and shrugged. "I don't know why I kept saying it, but I'm glad I did." Sly blinked once. Then Pete nervously smiled. "You probably don't even know what I'm talking about, but just know that I'm glad you're still here. I just wish Buzz was here to see it."

"He knows, Pete. I know he does. And... thanks."

Pete blinked, "How'd you know my name?"

Sly gulped, "Uh..."

Thankfully for Sly, Pete was distracted by Jina. "Well, this is a good excuse to party! Let's celebrate!" she said, followed by cheers from the meerkats. She led the group away from the stream to their usual party location by a small waterfall. A few of the meerkats lingered behind.

"Yeah, par-tay!" Timon began to follow, but then he blinked when he suddenly found himself being pushed onto a rock. "_Ma!_"

"No dancing for you, Timon, not with that toe of yours," Ma said to her son. Timon grunted and folded his arms in front of his chest. "It's for the best."

Zuri walked over and sat next to Timon. "I'll sit this one out with you," she said as she leaned against him.

"Thanks, babe. You're all heart," Timon grinned.

"... _'Babe?'_" She then pushed him over and off of the rock.

"Hey!" He sat up and rubbed his backside. "Gotta remember to learn from past mistakes." He then snorted softly when he noticed Sudi approaching. He stood as Sudi stopped in front of him.

"I'm sorry about the other night, Timon. I never really gave you a chance to get to know you, to see what my sister sees in you. I guess I was speaking for the colony when I was really speaking for myself."

"So you just told me all that stuff to get under my skin?" Timon asked with a furrowed brow.

Sudi nervously smiled, "Well, not _all_ of it. I _did_ think Zuri thought of you as a replacement to Sly. And I knew and liked him, and I thought she was going back to him. I didn't want to see any competition between the two of you for her. Then I found out _why_ she had us staying there."

"So you knew he was Titus, too?"

He nodded. "Needless to say I had trouble sleeping after that. So I decided, if I like Sly, a son of Fearless Buzz, and Zuri says you two are so alike, then I don't see a reason why I shouldn't try to like you, too. So, let's start over, OK?" He offered Timon a paw. "Sudi."

Timon glanced at the paw for a moment, grinned, and then took hold of it, shaking. "Timon."

"_Finally._ You know, for all the troubles we went through in the Pride Lands, I guess the outcome was worth it," Zuri said with a sigh.

"Amen," Sly said with a grin. He then looked around the oasis, taking it all in. "This place really _is_ beautiful... but do I really _belong_ here?"

Ma noticed the expression on her son's face. "Oh, sweetie..." She walked over to Sly, lowered his head down to her level, licked a paw, and started to smooth his hair down. Timon grimaced slightly, seeing that being done from a different angle. "Whatever you decide is up to you. Whether you stay or not you've made my life brighter because you're still alive." Sly glowered at his combed-over hair, which suddenly poofed up to a mess. As Sly fixed his hair up normally Ma continued, "Whatever you choose, I want you to be happy."

Sly pouted his lips for a moment, and then felt his arm being tugged at. He looked down to see Kito at his side. "You're not _really_ leaving, are you, Uncle Titus? After all we went through to find you and bring you back for Dad and Grandma? I don't want you to go." Sly looked taken aback by that.

Zuri knelt down to Kito and took hold of him by his shoulders. "Kito, you are _not_ putting any guilt trips on him, you understand me? It's rude."

"But Mom, it wasn't a guilt trip..."

Sly watched them, and then he paused for a moment when he felt the wind brush against his ears and ruffle his hair in a familiar manner. _Is it...?_ _"When you find someone who loves you for you, Sly... you'll know you belong,"_ Buzz's voice rang in his ears.

Sly softly gasped, then felt his eyes mist. The wind became calm, and he could think again. _Someone who loves me for me..._ He smiled. _Thanks, Pop..._ He noticed Zuri and Kito were still talking. "Zuri, it's all right. He was just asking an innocent question, like pups normally do. And _I've_ got a question of my own." All eyes turned to him.

"Not another question, Sly! I thought you got 'em all answered!" Timon said with a tired expression as he sat back down on the rock.

"You won't mind this one, trust me." Sly cleared his throat. "Would you all like me if I wasn't Panya's son?"

"... _Huh?_" Kito blinked, wrinkling his nose.

"If I was the way I am right now, but someone else's son, would you like me? I mean, you don't just like me because I'm Timon's brother, right?"

"Hey, come on, what are you talking about? Of _course_ we'd like you. We liked you when we thought you were Sengbe's son... well, _I _was still having those issues..." Timon coughed. "But I like you now."

"Zuri and I grew up with you not knowing you weren't born into the colony, and we liked you. We _still_ like you," Sudi said as Zuri nodded.

"And you saved me in the worst storm of the season from a hyena. Why wouldn't I like you?" Kito asked with a blink, as if he was wondering why such a question was being asked.

"And if what I've heard about you is true, then I would like you, too," Ma said as she put a paw on Sly's shoulder. She put a paw under his chin to turn his face towards her. "I loved you as you were as a pup, and as I get to know you better I _know_ I can love you again."

"We all will," Timon said, nodding.

Sly looked at all of them, then grinned, bowed his head, and closed his eyes for a moment. He felt a warm feeling inside that he hadn't felt before. _So maybe, this time..._ He then lifted it back up and looked at them again. "Yes."

"Yes what?" Kito asked.

"I'll stay."

"_Ya-hoo!_" Kito cheered and then hugged Sly. "We'll have the _best_ time, Uncle Titus! I'll show you where to go bungee jumping, and where the best grubs are, and-"

Sly pulled the excited pup away from his body and held him out in front of him. "Uh, Kito, if you don't mind, can we stick with Uncle Sly instead of Titus? Since I've been answering to Sly ever since I could remember."

"Oh. 'Kay." He looked over to Timon and Zuri with a hint of timid ness. "Is it OK if I go to the party?"

The two parents looked at each other, trying to read the other's mind. Zuri turned back to Kito and said, "We'll discuss your punishment after the party. So go on." Kito smiled as Sly released him and ran to catch up to the party.

Sly exhaled and sat down next to Timon. "I've been here for less than half an hour and I'm already worn out."

"Hakuna Matata. I'll show you where we get materials to build a nest later," Timon said.

"Thanks."

Sensing they should leave the two of them alone, Zuri, Sudi, and Ma to join the celebration. They both sat in silence, thinking about what had happened the past few days. Timon decided to forget about that payback he was going to give Sly for that incident between him and Zuri the other night. He did kind of owe him the favor for saving Kito. He was about to open his mouth to break the silence when the wind suddenly brushed against their fur, drawing their attention. Timon looked upward and grinned. He tapped Sly's shoulder and pointed to some leaves being lifted up and dancing in the wind.

Sly grinned as he watched them, reached up, and grabbed one of the leaves from the air. "Do they remind you of happier times, Timon?"

Timon watched as the leaf tried to escape Sly's grip, taking it from him, and watched as the leaves continued to dance. He smiled and shook his head. "Nah. These _are_ happier times... now that the family's back together." He released the leaf, watching it dance in the breeze to catch up with its companions.

The leaf fluttered by Rafiki, who was up in a tree and looking over the two brothers. The leaf brushed against the fruits on his staff, making a soft rattling. He smiled and nodded. "So much joy here now that your sons have returned, Fearless Buzz."

_"Yes. I've never seen Panya happier. Thank you, Rafiki. None of this would've been possible without your help,"_ Buzz's voice said.

The old baboon chuckled as he took hold of one of the leaves as it fluttered by. "Rafiki did not do as much as you may think. He mostly gave the direction for the boys to follow. _You_ did all the rest." He released the leaf, allowing it to return to the flow of the wind.

The wind sharply changed course, bringing the leaves with it. The wind lead the leaves to the small waterfall, where the party was starting. Tree trunks were beating, giant bugs were being thrown to other meerkats, drinks were being made, and meerkats were enjoying themselves. Ma sat to the side, watching. She normally wasn't too interested in the activities, at least not right away. She felt the wind against her, and she paused. She sat there motionless for a few moments, and then smiled and dried her eyes.

"Thank you, Buzz. You'll be in my heart until we meet again. I love you," she whispered. She closed her eyes as the wind gently blew past, carrying the leaves with it into the distance.

"Grandma?" Ma opened her eyes to see Kito and Shani standing in front of her. "Are you OK?" Kito asked.

"Your eyes look kind of wet," Shani said.

Ma rubbed her eyes again and stood, smiling. "I'm all right, kids. It was just the wind. Come on, let's go play a game with your friends." She walked away, with Kito and Shani following.

"So, Kito, did you have a lot of problems going out there?" Shani asked her brother.

"Uh..." Kito thought, and then counted the events on his fingers. "Well, we almost got baked in the desert, we didn't know where to find Rafiki's tree, got a rude awakening from Morake while we were trying to catch up on our sleep, nearly jumped out of my skin hearing that Nunda call, nearly eaten by a hyena in the worst storm I've ever been in, rescued Uncle Sudi after some interrogation, posed as various distractions in the geysers cave saving Mom in the process, and was almost eaten _again_ by the same hyena. So... no, not a _lot_ of problems." Shani watched him for a moment with an arched brow. "If you don't believe me, ask Bango or Morake! Or Uncle Sudi!"

"_Hmm..._ I only have one question for you, big brother."

"_Yes...?_"

She turned to him and smiled, "When do Barika and I get to have _our_ adventure?"

The End


	56. Deleted Scenes

As I promised, deleted scenes from _Out of the Blue!_ There's quite a bit of stuff, so this is going to be a long "chapter." Here I'll give reasons to why these were dropped, where they took place, and maybe even the last date I worked on them. 

Before we go to the first deleted scene I'd like to tell you how far back this fic was in planning. This fic was in the works before I put an epilogue on _Someone Like You._ Originally the epilogue I put on _Someone Like You_ was going to be a prologue for _this_ story, as well as the epilogue of _An Old Fight._ But when I decided I haven't worked out a good storyline for it yet, I decided to put it on hold. But I felt the need to write something, so I put Zuri telling Timon her news as an epilogue to _Someone Like You._ After I wrote _An Old Fight,_ I began to work on another prologue to this story with the birth, but again, I still hadn't worked out a good storyline. So I put the birth as the epilogue of _An Old Fight._ I did save the file, but they, shockingly enough, aren't my best piece of work. They're just less-than-great versions of the current epilogues. No point posting.

Sadly I had a few too many deleted scenes, too many _long_ deleted scenes... when I first uploaded it, it had over 30 pages and 15,000-some words! That's just too much for me... enough for a whole fic! So, I edited this a lot to keep you guys from getting serious eyestrain. What I didn't put in here I'll write what it was about. I may post the rest on my DA website. That being said, read on!

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**_First Chapter (Last Worked on April 17, 2004):_ This is the first chapter I worked on sometime last year when I was starting to work on this fic, before _An Old Fight_ and _Remember When? _Kito's original introduction was somewhat different than what's currently in the fic. For one thing, he was called Buzz and Shani was called Kito. I guess I decided against Buzz because it would cause confusion, especially since I still use Fearless Buzz in flashbacks and subconcious visits. I think when I ended this chapter I was going to have Timon notice some movement in the desert and notice a meerkat coming towards them, pleading help from the son of Fearless Buzz... or something like that.**

Chapter 1:

A few months had passed. A young meerkat jumped from tree branch to tree branch, laughing. "Whoo-hoo-_hoo!_" He stopped for a moment to look out towards the desert. "Wow..."

"Buzz!"

The young meerkat sighed, "Oy." He looked downward to see Timon and Zuri standing at the base of the tree.

"Get down from there, pup!" Timon ordered.

"Aw, c'mon, Dad! You _gotta_ see the view up here!" the pup, Buzz, called down to them.

"I've seen it. At _least_ ten times today. Now come down!"

"Why?"

Timon sighed, rubbing his temples. "Kito doesn't give us this much trouble." Zuri let out a few giggles at Timon's expression, to which Timon furrowed his brow at her. "He's _your_ son."

"Oh, really? He's not named after _my_ father," Zuri grinned.

Timon rolled his eyes, then turned back to his son. "Buzz, I'm counting to three!"

"What for?" Buzz called down to him. "Can't you count higher?"

"Leave the comedy to the professionals!" Timon sighed and started climbing the tree. "Forget it, I'm coming up to get you."

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**There was a better version of the birth I did, before I began _An Old Fight._ It's pretty close to the epilogue minus some lines and some actions. Such as Pete telling Timon "Don't make me slap you" when he first tells him that Zuri's given birth, Timon asking, "Seriously, what do I have?" and Max muttering, "Too much caffeine in your system?" I think in both versions Pumbaa wasn't told about Titus/Sly. **

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**_Live Re-Enactment (Last worked on August 13, 2004):_ The original draft for Chapter 2, which is an alternate version of the current Chapter 3. In this one we're introduced to Kito and Bango together (before I noticed Bango's too young to have tusks), in the same manner as Chapter 3, but it's Timon who pulls Kito out of Bango's mouth, not Shani. It would have included a live re-enactment of the defeat of Mataka, but I decided it would've slowed the story down a little more, and we could've done without. Doing so I left out some very amusing lines.**

Chapter 2:

Morning came. A male meerkat pup followed a beetle as it scurried by his nest. He followed it to the warthogs' nest, where it stopped in front of a sleeping warthog piglet. "I've got ya now..." The pup pounced just as the beetle opened its wings and began to fly away--right into the warthog's yawning mouth. The warthog ate it in his sleep, licked his lips, and let out a satisfied sigh. The pup pried the warthog's mouth open and peered inside. "_Hey!_ Bango, that was my breakfast! _Give it back!_"

"Huh?" the warthog, Bango, grunted as he opened his eyes, feeling the meerkat walk into his mouth.

"I've heard of sleepwalkers, but sleep-_eaters?_ Now exhale that bug or I'm going in after it!"

"Wha ahe ou aling aou, Ieo? I--"

"Don't talk with your mouth full. Besides, I can't understand a word you're saying." Bango sat up and spat the pup out. "_Ech..._ now I gotta take a bath," the pup complained as he picked a bit of the warthog's saliva from his fur.

Bango rotated his jaw around a few times and smacked his lips. "Sorry." He then cleared his throat. "I said, 'What are you talking about, Kito?'"

Kito jumped up and grabbed Bango's tusks, pulling him down to his level. "You ate my breakfast is what I'm talking about!"

"_What?_" Bango folded his front legs together in front of his chest, almost looking insulted. Kito was still holding onto his tusks when he did, so the pup had to climb up onto the warthog's snout to keep from falling off. "I would do no such thing, eating someone else's breakfast." He then let out a burp. He put a hoof to his mouth and blinked, surprised.

"You yawned and it flew into your mouth while you were still asleep," Kito said, dryly.

"It did?" Bango smacked his lips a few times and smiled. "I wondered why the grass tasted like bugs in my dream."

"So cough it up right now!" Kito dropped down to the ground and tapped his foot. "I'm waiting, Bango."

"I don't think you want me to--"

"Then say 'Ah.'"

"Why would you want me to say ah--?" Just as the warthog opened his mouth, Kito jumped back in and began to head down his throat, until someone grabbed onto his back foot and pulled him out.

Timon held Kito by the ankle and held him upside-down. "You know, Bango, I didn't know warthogs got furballs," he said.

"Oh, hi, Uncle Timon. And that's not a furball."

"Um, Dad... can you put me down now?" Kito asked, looking a bit irritated.

Timon turned the pup right side-up and looked at him in the face, squinting. He grinned and ruffled the pup's hair. "Oh, it's _you,_ Kito. I didn't recognized you in warthog drool." He waved that paw to get the saliva off.

"I was _trying_ to get my breakfast back," Kito said as he brushed his fur off. "Bango sleep-ate it."

Timon grimaced and took a look at Bango, who helplessly shrugged. "Uh, son, are you sure you wanna eat a bug that's been in a _warthog's_ stomach? Especially since bugs aren't exactly an endangered species in this oasis?"

Kito grunted and folded his arms in front of his chest. "That's not the point, Dad. It's the principle of the thing."

Timon rolled his eyes and shook his head as he walked over to a tree and pulled off the bark. He dusted the grubs underneathe the bark onto the bark, using it as a plate and offered it to his son. "Look, if I give you this plate of bugs, would you forget about giving Bango indigestion?"

"Well..." Kito put a paw to his chin as he stared at the plate of bugs held out before him.

"_I'll_ take it if _you_ don't!" Bango said, wagging his tail.

"Then we'd be right back where we started."

Timon rolled his eyes again and sighed, "All right, I'll throw in a live reenactment of the defeat of Mataka the hyena, but that's my final offer."

"Deal!" Kito smiled as he snatched the plate from Timon.

"I just need a Mataka..."

_Later..._

Pumbaa stood there glowering as Timon tied two broad leaves to his ears to resemble hyena ears. "_How_ did I let you talk me into this, Timon?" he asked as Timon walked on the front of his snout.

"Simple: I offered you a big, fat, slimey bug. It's not _my_ fault you're so gullible," Timon grinned as he tied a large black berry to the front of Pumbaa's snout with a piece of vine.

"Crud."

Timon turned around and patted Pumbaa on the head. "And only a true bwana buddy would be willing enough to make a fool out of himself in front of his own son for the sake of entertainment."

Pumbaa cringed slightly as Timon jumped off his face. "'True bwana buddy.' That did it." He whimpered softly and followed Timon over to the waiting Kito and Bango.

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**_Early Version of Chapter 9 (Last Worked on October 5, 2004):_ This takes place right after Timon mumbles about putting in a skylight after complaining what time the workers should quit for the night. Instead of listening to Ma talking to Uncle Max, he talks to her straight on. I don't remember why I changed it... maybe I was planning to have more Uncle Max at the time. Anyway, some more cute lines cut. Read on.**

He continued to mumble to himself as he passed by his mother, who watched after him and put a paw on her hip. "Timon, what are you complaining about now?"

Timon gulped and then walked backwards, stopping in front of her. "What makes you think I'm _complaining,_ Mother?" he asked with a nervous smile.

"You were mumbling."

"Mumbling to myself gives me someone to talk to. Don't _you_ occasionally mumble to yourself?"

Ma grinned slightly as she folded her arms in front of her chest. "Only when I'm complaining about something."

"I wasn't complaining... just thinking about putting a skylight in here so we can tell what time of day it is."

"We don't need a skylight, sweetie. When the sentries come inside, we know it's time to quit and settle for bed."

"OK, _now_ I'm gonna complain. I'm gonna complain about the fact that we've become so _predictable_ lately! Sun comes up, we dig tunnels, we sing while we dig tunnels until the sun sets--"

"And you find some way to make everyone upset with you?" Ma asked, almost expecting that was the next thing that was going to come out of her son's mouth.

Timon gulped again... that _was_ the next thing that was going to come out of his mouth. "I'm trying to get everyone to like me again. What's wrong with that?"

Ma's face softened, and then she pulled Timon down to her level, licked a paw, and smooth his hair out. "Timmy, ever since your father died you've tried every way possible to make everyone like you again. You focus too hard on _trying_ instead of _doing._"

"Well, you can't _do_ unless you _try,_" Timon mumbled as his combed-over hair poofed up to a punch of spikes. "I just haven't gotten to the _'do'_ part yet." He licked his own paw and smoothed his hair back to its usual style. He then looked into his mother's empty nest with a soften expression. "I'm just worried I'll be dead before the colony accepts me again."

Ma smiled and turned Timon's face to hers. "Sweetie, remember what I told you a long time ago?"

"_Which_ long time ago?" Timon blinked.

"You had your first tunnel digging lesson and you said you were tired of doing things the way your father or Uncle Max did them. I told you 'Whatever you do, I know you're going to make me proud.' And if you make me proud, you'll make the colony proud. I _still_ believe it."

Timon lowered his eyes slightly. "You also said Dad would be proud. He never said he was."

Ma lowered her eyes slightly, and then brought them back up to Timon. "I'm sure he was."

"And because of my screwing-up he never said it to my _face._ What if I mess up worse than that and you get hurt? Or worse before _you_ say you're proud of me?"

Ma put a paw over her son's mouth with a slight smirk. "And what if the sky turns to fire and your nose falls off?"

Timon frowned and removed his mother's paw. "Why, what have you heard? Some kind of nose-eating virus going around?"

Ma chuckled, "No. I'm only saying don't worry about something before it even happens. Believe in yourself and you can do anything. And I know you'll make me proud, be it tomorrow or five years from now."

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There was another draft to Chapter 21 that I tried out, but I couldn't get it going past page 2. I then realized there were too many characters in that scene and I had to move them out. Introducing two boyfriends to each other was hard. Sheesh. Sly would've walked around Timon, inspecting him, and Timon would comment, "What were you, a vulture in another life?" "I wish," Sly would reply. Kinda cute.

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**_Easedrop For Morake (Last Worked on November 27, 2004):_ I think I was planning to put this in Chapter 26. Morake was going to discover that the _Nunda_ was fake, but I decided to put that on hold a while longer. Better to have one of the characters discover it for themselves. I decided to cut this real quick... I didn't even really finish it. To end the final draft of that chapter, I had Morake question if Rafiki could be wrong, thus his mother was wrong.**

Morake blinked a bit more, and then shrugged and chased after the shell as it rolled over towards the back side of the cave. It stopped near a crack on the side of the cave, and Morake stopped, preparing the pounce. He stopped when he heard some muffled conversation coming from the crack. He walked over to the crack and put his ear against it to listen to the voices.

"That Zuri is Sly's old _girlfriend_ from his past colony?" a voice asked.

"Unless I heard it wrong," a second voice said.

"This complicates things. I really enjoyed Sly's company."

Morake blinked. _Wonder what they're talking about?_

"Oh, _please._ He wouldn't jeopardize his and his father's place in the colony... or his ex's life." Morake blinked again, his eyebrows jumping slightly. "He'll marry Yasmin and become our new leader, keeping that Zuri safe. That's what I'd do anyway."

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**There were two other versions of Chapter 34, which was originally 33. During that time I was still deciding who was going to do what from then on. In these two versions Sly was asking Sudi and Zuri if they knew were Fearless Buzz's grave was, or where Shomari's first colony lived, whichever version you prefer. Neither knew, so they got help from Pumbaa. So, while Zuri and Pumbaa go with Sly to the grave, Sudi was to go find Timon. Both versions were to give slight hints that Sly was Titus... like you lot _really_ needed it! Shouldn't have given Sly such a good description in _Remember When?_ Also in the second version Sly was to tell Sudi the truth about the _Nunda,_ but I felt it wasn't the time for that yet. Better to have one of the characters see if for themselves. I don't really remember where I was trying to go at the time by doing this, but I went against it and decided to have Sly go with Jina and Timon instead. Worked out better, I think. **

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_Deleted From Chapter 36 (Last Worked on January 6, 2005):_ Took this out at the end of Chapter 36 when Zuri discovers one of the _Nunda_ termite mounds. I never finished it, but in it Sengbe's spies were about to kill Zuri, but are confronted by a shadowy animal. They run, and the animal kills the spies and was going to take Zuri prisoner. This would've presented a plot hole in the current version, because I was still deciding whether or not to have the animal be Mataka with a limp in his leg or his son Bintaka. If it was Bintaka he would not recognize Zuri being with Timon, so he would have killed her. So I cut this out.

"So you've figured it out," a voice from behind Zuri said. Zuri gasped, dropped the shell in her paws, and turned around to see Sengbe's three spies standing near her.

"You didn't notice before because last night's rain destroyed the three _Nundas_ we had made up to keep predators and rogues away. We're good contractors, but our work doesn't hold up well in the rain. All you saw today were mud and sticks laying next to the termite mounds. Even so, the noise is enough to scare anyone away, in rain or shine," the second spy said.

"Predators and rogues never get close enough to see if it's real or fake," the third spy said.

"So the _Nunda_ isn't real. That's why Sly sent you guys out with that water; to rebuild them," Zuri said.

"Yes. And now you know too much," the first said as he and the other two began to approach Zuri.

"What are you doing? _Get away from me!_" Zuri said as she back away.

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**_Mataka Lives, Deleted from Chapter 41 (Last Worked on March 3, 2005):_ I was still deciding whether or not to have Mataka still alive very late into this fic, so I started writing it into Chapter 41 to see how it was working. As I was writing this chapter I decided against it. But I still needed a reason for the hyenas not to chow down on Pumbaa, Zuri, and Sudi right away. So, I decided to create Jumbe, a hyena old enough to have been a part of Mataka's pack and been with him during his encounters with Timon and Pumbaa and extract this plan of revenge.**

"Pumbaa, this is the exact opposite of speeding up! What's the matter now?" Zuri asked as she looked in the direction Pumbaa was facing. She gasped.

An older hynea blocked the exit. "Leaving so soon?" he asked in a gruff voice.

Sudi took a look, and then looked back at the three hyenas who slowed to a trot at the sight of the older hyena. "Caught between a rock and a hard place. I can't believe how _lucky_ we are."

The older hyena jerked his head toward the outside as he looked to the other hyenas. "No witnesses. Get that cheetah." Two of the hyenas nodded and then raced out past the elder. The elder turned his attention back to Pumbaa and the two meerkats. "As I was saying... you don't want to leave yet."

"We don't?" Pumbaa and Zuri both asked.

"Of _course_ he doesn't, because he wants to _eat_ us!" Sudi shouted, and then gulped when the hyena looked right at him.

"I don't remember _you..._" the hyena snorted, and then looked at Pumbaa, and then to Zuri. "But I _do_ remember you two." He slowly approached them with a limp in his back right leg, and his features began to become more noticeable. "I remember the last time we ran across each other..."

"We've met?" Pumbaa blinked.

"You've taken the time to remember a few meals that ran away?" Bintaka spoke up.

The elder hyena sneered, "I have good reason to remember _these_ two, Bintaka." He turned back to the warthog and meerkats. "Would you care for a hint?" He took a few steps closer to them, allowing his face to become clearer. "Nine months ago the son of Fearless Buzz thought he had _finally_ avenged his father's death, but as I still breath he has a _long_ way to go!" His face came into clear view, and Pumbaa and Zuri both gasped when they saw the scars on the hyena's nose.

"_Mataka!_" they both shouted.

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**_Earlier Chapter 44 (Last Worked on March 11, 2005):_ The flashback part of this chapter was later recycled into Chapter 52, but I removed and changed some of the events that happened and some lines. Basically it was inspired by an early version of _Can You Feel the Love Tonight_ that I downloaded and I was putting that music in the background. Originally Pumbaa and Sudi suggested that Zuri cheer up by remembering something pleasant, and she remembers this flashback. We're starting where Timon and Zuri keep pinning each other, after Timon mentions that he's not wearing any "sneakers." **

"Now _that_ was a sneak attack," Zuri said with a dry look.

"Guilty." Timon grinned, but then looked confused as Zuri began to sit up. "What are you...?"

"Zuri!" a voice called.

Zuri rolled her eyes and let out an annoyed sigh. "Just when things were getting fun."

"Huh?"

"My father's coming, and unless you have a real good excuse for this pin without getting your tongue tied..."

Timon quickly stood and dusted himself off. He then helped Zuri up just in time for Shomari to push his way through some bushes. "_There_ you are. It's getting late, Zuri. We should head home soon," he said as he approached the two.

"Oh Papa, do we _have_ to? I haven't seen the whole place yet."

"We'll be moving here later this week. You'll have plenty of time then."

"I'll tell you what, Shomari," Timon began, "you go on ahead with Simba, and when they're ready to leave Pumbaa and I will escort Zuri and Jina back to the Pride Lands. What do you say?"

"_Or_ I'll give you two fifteen minutes to see a waterfall or whatever you have around here, and then you meet us at the edge of the desert," Shomari said, folding his arms in front of his chest.

"So we're _still_ on time limits?" Zuri asked with a dry expression.

"At least until I can get him into the Hakuna Matata lifestyle," Timon mumbled to her. He turned to Shomari. "Thirty."

"Ten."

"_Twenty?_"

"Five."

"OK, OK, I can _live_ with fifteen," Timon nervously smiled.

Shomari grinned and pat Timon on the back. "Good. See you in fifteen." He then walked away.

Both Timon and Zuri sighed in relief. "That was close," Timon said.

Zuri watched after Shomari to make sure he was gone. "Hey, Timon?"

"Yeah?" he turned to look at her.

"Would you hold it against me if I...?"

"If you...?" She didn't finish her sentence. She just leaned up to Timon, and kissed him. Timon was not expecting that. His eyes were a big as dinner plates, and he felt numb for a moment. When he felt feeling return to him he quickly blushed, pulled away, and backed away a few feet in surprise. "What was _that_ for?"

"Does there have to be a reason?"

"I..." Timon blinked as she walked into a bush, glancing back at him with a grin as she did. "She kissed me..." He swallowed, and followed after her.

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**There were some elements from Sly's subconscious that I worked on, but later took out. It was either too much or slowed the chapter down. They were mostly flashbacks taken from _Son of Fearless Buzz._ In the beginning of Chapter 45 I wrote two different versions of the beginning: one that was a flashback scene and one where Sly was thinking back earlier with the voices in his head (at the time to make the chapter shorter, before I decided to make 3 separate chapters). Sort of combined the two dialog-wise and went with the flashback. Anyway, when Buzz starts showing Sly what he missed it didn't always start with the day Sly disappeared. Such scenes taken out included that "firefly race." I also started doing Ma talking to Rafiki about Timon, but decided to take it out because I was starting to retell _TLK 1.5_ and we didn't need that.**

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**Had a lot of different ways of trying to get Chapters 54 and 55 going, such as when did I want Sly to meet the colony, when and how I wanted Sly to meet Ma, and of course, how I wanted to end it. Did I want to end it with the current ending line ("When do Barika and I get to have _our_ adventure?"), Rafiki and Buzz talking in the tree, Timon giving Sly payback for the other night, or did I want to go with a reader's comment and have Zuri tell Timon they're expecting a second litter? So many choices and I tried a lot of them out both in my head and on the computer, but they didn't work out as well as the current ending. I also had a slightly different beginning with Shani, Barika, and Pete, where Shani battles trying to remove a fruit from its stem for about an hour. I also tried having Timon introduce Morake to the colony, but it felt like it was slowing down. I tried again with Kito, but same results. So I decided against it. **

**_Alternate Ending:_ I had this ending in mind for a while, and it was very amusing, but it wasn't working out. Some inspiration came from _Jak II,_ the ending, of course. Played that game some time last month... HARD! I have a feeling _Jak 3_ won't be a piece of cake either. Oh well, it's addicting. Would've continued, but couldn't think of what else to put. Oh, well.**

Timon looked at Sudi, eying the bruise on his chin, and then snapped his fingers. "Oh, _yeah..._ I almost forgot." He stood with help from his cane, walked over to Sly, and clocked him over the head with his cane.

"_**Timon!**_" Zuri frowned.

"_Ow!_" Sly grunted, and then rubbed his head, growling. "What was _that_ for?"

"_That_ was payback for the other night."

"I thought you were gonna stop hounding me about that!"

"I will now. I was waiting until you least suspected it," Timon said as he turned his back to return to the rock. "Besides, you _did_ give me permission to hit you."

"_**Why you little-!**_" Sly growled and pounced on his back, to which Timon yelled in surprise. "That offer _expired!_" The two proceeded in fighting each other while the others watched.

"_Ow!_ Dirty fighting! _**Dirty fighting!**_" Timon shouted.

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Well, I guess that's all I wrote and saved for the deleted scenes that didn't take up a lot of space. Always fun to look back and see what I was thinking months back. You can just see the storyboards in your head, can't ya? I know I can. I just hope I can think of something great for the next story. Hopefully it won't take me long and you guys will still hold an interest in me. Until then, faithful readers!


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